Lebanon Mourns As Blasts Kills Dozens, Injures Thousands
by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Lebanon’s prime minister has declared a national day of mourning after his nation’s worst explosion in years devastated Beirut killing scores of people and injuring thousands.
Hassan Diab made the announcement as hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies and generators to keep their lights on.
More than 70 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with many bodies buried in rubble and bloodied people roaming the streets, witnesses and officials said.
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi told local media that the blast at the capital’s main port was apparently caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate.
The chemical substance had been stored in a warehouse at the dock since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014.
’FIREWORKS INVOLVED’
Local television reported that a fireworks warehouse was also involved. The blaze appeared to spread to a nearby building, triggering the more massive explosion.
Witnesses reported seeing an orange mushroom cloud-like that appears when toxic nitrogen dioxide gas is released after an explosion involving nitrates.
The blast struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany’s geosciences center GFZ. It was reportedly heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) across the Mediterranean.
Commentators said the sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the coronavirus pandemic and a severe economic and financial crisis.
TENSIONS REMAIN
The explosion happened amid ongoing tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah military group on Lebanon’s southern border.
Many residents reported hearing planes overhead just before the blast. But Israel denied involvement in the explosion.
The blast added to anxiety among refugees in Lebanon, a nation of 5.5 million people.
Lebanon hosts an estimated 1.5 million refugees from war-torn Syria as well as Palestine and Iraq.
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