Beirut, 6th August 2020: A massive explosion at the Beirut port, in Lebanon, took place on the 4th of August after which the Lebanese Army has taken control of the site.
As reported in The Guardian, the death toll from a huge blast at Beirut’s port has risen to 137, as the Lebanese army took control of the site on the first day. A two-week state of emergency has been declared in the city.
Beirut Explosion: 30 died, over 3,000 people injured
The latest casualty figure on Thursday reported 5,000 injured persons. The spokesperson from the health ministry informed that dozens were still missing. “This toll is not final,” he said.
Volunteers are working with the army to clean up shattered streets, buildings, and hospitals.
Massive explosion at Beirut Port
The government said it had formed an investigation committee to look into the explosion, which appears to have been set off by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port since 2014.
It is said that the ammonium nitrate was taken from a ship that docked in Beirut in 2013 and was apparently abandoned by its Russian owner and mostly Ukrainian crew.
Beirut Blast was equal to a Nuclear Bomb: Experts
Lebanese officials have started blaming each other for leaving the highly explosive substance sitting so close to residential neighborhoods for six years.
It may be remembered that a massive explosion ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, killing more than 135 people and injuring more than 5,000.
Lebanon: The death toll from bomb blast in Beirut has risen to 135
It is not clear what caused the explosion, but officials said the focus is on a port warehouse in central Beirut where 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate explosive materiel used in fertilizers and bombs, had been stored for nearly six years without any safety measures.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for an investigation into the matter, terming the storage “unacceptable.” The explosion hit with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, leaving a giant mushroom cloud looming over Beirut’s sky.
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