What Happened In Beirut?

 Beirut Explosion(collected from Sky News)

4 August 2020, 6:07 p.m. local time Tuesday, a explosion shattered the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. 

The casualties included :

• at least 220 deaths, 

• 7,000 injuries,

• An estimated loss of US$10–15 billion in property damage, 

• an estimated 300,000 people homeless.

Magnitude:

The explosion appeared to be roughly 124 meters (405 feet) in diameter and it was felt from neighbouring country.

About 90% of the hotels in the city were damaged and three hospitals were completely destroyed.

The explosion destroyed a section of shoreline of the port and left a crater nearly 120 metres (390 ft) in diameter.

About 15,000 tonnes of grain were destroyed, leaving the country with less than a month's worth of grain in reserve.

The Sursock Museum and several of its artworks sustained damage. The FIBA Asia headquarters was heavily damaged.

Embassies in and around Beirut reported varying degrees of damage to their building’s.

The cruise ship Orient Queen suffered extensive damage. Two members of the crew were killed and seven crew members were injured.

The Bangladesh Navy corvette BNS Bijoy which participated in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, was also damaged.

Video is collected from Sky news

 

Cause:

Initially the explosion was blamed on a major fire at a warehouse for firecrackers near the port.

But the most believed cause is a ship filled with about 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate.

In 2013, the ship filled with ammonium nitrate stopped at the Lebanese port. It had a Russian crew and it was bound for Mozambique. The ship's former captain told to Reuter that he had been instructed to stop in Beirut to pick up more cargo, but there was a legal dispute over port fees and the shipping company was in debt. Other sources claimed of technical issues.

Other confusion and claims include the possible cause of explosion indicating involvement of other compounds.

Collected from Daily mail

Investigation:

The government formed an investigation committee led by the prime minister, Hassan Diab. The director-general of Lebanon's customs authority Badri Daher and 20 other people were arrested, with investigations still ongoing.

Previous such explosions:

In April 1947, a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate caught fire when it was  in Texas City. The fire caused an explosion and additional fires damaging more than 1,000 buildings and killing nearly 400 people.

Texas City Explosion 1947 from Houston Chronicle

Another incident happened in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. It was a US domestic terror attack that killed 169 people and injured 467 by using two tons (1.8 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate.

Oklahoma city Explosion collected from Wikipedia

Riots after Beirut Blast:

110 people have been injured in clashes between protesters and police in Beirut.

Violent clashes between protesters and security forces transformed into a battle zone. There were flying rocks, swinging batons and clouds of tear gas. Some protesters attacked on government buildings and three government ministries. Some legislators had resigned and the prime minister had called for early elections.

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