This afternoon a massive explosion surprised Lebanon, so far 73 fatalities and 3,700 injuries have been confirmed, according to Health Minister Hamad Hassan. In addition, Lebanon’s chief of internal security, Abbas Ibrahim, stated that the explosion took place in the port area of Beirut, in a section that contained highly explosive elements, and not only fireworks, as the authorities reported at first.
Currently, the investigations have given their preliminary conclusions, ensuring that the explosion was the product of a warehouse of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, these explosives have been stored in the port since 2014, according to local media BCI.
Moments of the explosion
Different users have disseminated through social networks the precise moment of the large-scale explosion in the city of Beirut. Destroyed buildings, seriously injured citizens, wrecked cars, and even pets in the rubble are the images of sensitizing the entire world.
Hay 73 fallecidos y casi 4 mil heridos por la explosión en Beirut. Hasta el momento se desconocen las causas de la tragedia. Líbano fue declarada zona de desastre y se ordenó un día de luto nacional en honor a las víctimas. pic.twitter.com/lgLg4OMrlg
— Javier Alatorre (@Javier_Alatorre) August 4, 2020
Users through Twitter have shared the exact moment of the explosion, which due to its magnitude felt like an earthquake in much of the Lebanese capital. One of these shocking videos is that of a bride who was doing a photoshoot on the streets of the city, another of the most commented cases is that of a woman, who despite being in her apartment, feels the great impact and runs by a minor who was near the windows, it is unknown if it was the mother or the caretaker of the child.
https://twitter.com/Actualidadworld/status/1290757370990206976
Explosión en Beirut, Líbano.
La reacción de la empleada doméstica, es todo lo que esta bien.
— 3rnesto (@erveza) August 4, 2020
The Beirut Governor stars in one of the most talked-about scenes on social media when he breaks down in tears in the middle of an interview when comparing the episode with «Hiroshima and Nagasaki»
https://twitter.com/MinutoInfoVZLA/status/1290752118710771712
Another of the images that cause emotions is that of a small dog, sitting in the rubble, apparently injured.
International Reactions
In the first hours of disclosing a sinister incident in Lebanon, countries have shown their solidarity with the country. The United States Department of State made known its solidarity and also assured that it is prepared to offer all possible aid, assuring that they are closely following the unfortunate event.
For its part, the Israeli government also offered humanitarian and medical aid to Lebanon through international and security channels. Other governments like France and Iran have also offered their help.