A large explosion from the combustion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in the port of Beirut has ravaged the Lebanese capital leaving tens dead and thousands injured at a time when the country has been experiencing one of its worst economic crises since the end of its civil war in 1990.
In the middle of Tuesday, a large explosion in the port of Beirut has caused at least 63 deaths and 3,000 injuries, Efe was informed by a spokesman for anonymity, with hospitals in the capital collapsing from the injured.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab revealed at a meeting with the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, that a shipment of 2,750 uncussed ammonium nitrate was the cause of the explosion.
The result of the explosion was devastating. Eyewitnesses have pointed out to Efe that there was a rupture of glass in homes more than five kilometres from the explosion and that the buildings suffered damage of various consideration within a radius of more than two kilometers, seriously affecting the central neighbourhoods of the Mediterranean capital.
Images spread on social media at the time of the explosion show a large mushroom-shaped cloud rising in the sky and a strong shockwave causing numerous material damage. Even some members of the United Nations Peace Force in Lebanon (FINUL) were seriously injured by the incident, which affected one of their ships docked at the pier, the mission reported, although the Spaniards who are part were not injured, pointed out to Efe sources close to FINUL.
Among those who died are Nazar Najarian, general secretary of the Kataeb (Lebanese Phalanx) party who succumbed to the wounds from the explosion, the party confirmed.
Diab promised in a brief televised speech that those responsible for the big explosion will “pay the price,” as “this catastrophe will not pass without responsibility.” Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the mission of the crisis cell created after the explosion is to “deal with the repercussions of the disaster and coordinate closely” with the authorities.
BEIRUT, CATASTROPHIC AREA
The Supreme Defense Council has declared Beirut a “catastrophic zone” as well as a state of emergency for two weeks following an urgent meeting with the country’s leaders.
Aoun stated at the start of the meeting that a “great catastrophe” has occurred in Lebanon, where he appealed to the “need to investigate what happened and determine those responsible, especially after security reports indicated that explosive and flammable material was in the port. According to the Head of State, Diab promised that he will not rest until he finds the person responsible and “apply the maximum punishment because it is not acceptable for a charge of ammonium nitrate weighing 2 thousand 750 tons to be in a warehouse for six years without taking preventive measures, exposing the safety of citizens.”
For its part, the Lebanese Shia group Hezbulá stated in a statement that “unprecedented destruction and serious consequences at the human, health, social and economic levels require that all Lebanese and all political forces and actors stand together, unite and work to overcome the effects of this cruel misfortune”.
Several Arab countries showed solidarity with the Lebanese people and government, and Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt offered the help the cedar country, which is going through its worst crisis since the end of the civil war (1975-1990).
For its part, the Arab League stressed in a statement the importance of investigating what happened and clarifying the truth, so that these facts do not “exacest” the crisis already going through the country, according to a statement from the Cairo-based agency. This event, one of the worst in the country’s history, comes within days of the final verdict of the Special Court for Lebanon (TEL), responsible for trying the 2005 car bombing that killed the former Minister Rafik Hariri, the last major attack on which Beirut had been the scene.
That international tribunal accuses several members of Hezbolá, who are being tried in absentia, of the murder.
“Ammonium Nitrate”:
Because some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate are reported to have caused the explosions at the port of Beirut. https://t.co/0So1yS2qIP
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