• Beirut devastated by a huge explosion
  • Two explosions devastate the port of Beirut: at least 73 dead and 3,700 injured

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05 August 2020 Over 100 were killed and more than 4,000 injured in the explosions that took place yesterday in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, and caused by about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate present in a warehouse. This is what the Red Cross reported today, quoted by the Lebanese website Daily Star. But the budget could be heavier, the authorities warn: according to the city governor, Marwan Abboud, quoted by the media, more than 100 are missing.

Yesterday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun declared three days of national mourning at the end of the Defense Council meeting, during which Premier Hassan Diab defined "unacceptable that a load of ammonium nitrate, estimated at 2,750 tons, was present for six years in a warehouse, without precautionary measures ". The explosions that took place yesterday evening were recorded by seismographs as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake, according to data from the US geological service Usgs. The reported magnitude is however not directly comparable to an earthquake of similar size, since the Lebanese explosion occurred on the surface (as opposed to a seismic wave). Today in Beirut, an emergency cabinet meeting.

Airborne Toxin Alarm
To cause the explosions that ravaged Beirut, Lebanon, was a load of ammonium nitrate of over 2700 tons that was stored in a warehouse near the port after being confiscated six years ago. Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi reported explaining that from a first reconstruction ammonium nitrate would have been placed in the warehouse after being seized by a merchant ship in 2014. Witnesses reported seeing an orange cloud like that which appears when gas is released toxic to nitrogen dioxide after an explosion involving nitrates and in the country there is also a strong concern for the toxins present in the air.

Lebanese health minister Hamad Hasan has advised anyone who can leave Beirut. Hasan - quoted by local media - said that hazardous materials released into the air after explosions could have long-term fatal effects.

Trump, US military leaders think of attack
US military executives think that the explosion in Beirut was an attack, a bomb of some kind: Donald Trump said in a press conference in the White House. "The US will help Lebanon," said the president of the United States.

France sends doctors and medical supplies
France will send a civil security detachment and "several tons of medical supplies" to Beirut. This was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron on Twitter. "Emergency doctors will also reach Beirut as soon as possible to strengthen hospitals. France is already busy," added the head of state. Macron had already assured his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun the support of France yesterday evening and had announced the delivery of "French aid and resources" to Beirut.