Hundreds Dead, Thousands Injured in Beirut Blast
As of August 6th, 2020, the death toll count has risen to 135 with 5000+ wounded or injured, hundreds reported missing, and 300,000+ displaced in the wake of the blast. The explosion incident has been deemed an accident status by the Defence Secretary of Lebanon. A two-week long state of emergency has been declared in the country after already facing an economic decline. It has also been reported that Lebanon may face famine at the rate that they are going.
A large blast rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut late on Tuesday afternoon, killing more than 70 and injuring over 4,000 citizens in the explosion, according to a developing BBC report.
Trigger warning for anyone watching the news today, please be careful as some scenes may be too distressing.
A warehouse storing highly explosive materials for over 6 years is being blamed, with President Michel Aoun tweeting it to be ‘unacceptable’ that the quantity of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely reached 2,750 tonnes. He has also declared a 3-day mourning period and a release of 100 billion lira ((£50.5m, $66m) from the emergency funds available to the country.
Officials have already kicked off an investigation into the exact cause of the explosion with the country’s Supreme Defence Council saying that the responsible party would be held accountable with a ‘maximum punishment’ for what could have been an attack.
Distressing videos show the warehouse smoking from the fire, followed by a blast at the port of Beirut and a mushroom cloud. Trigger warning for anyone watching the news today, please be careful as some scenes may be disturbing or triggering for some.
Hospitals are already full to the brim. Buildings in the immediate vicinity of the explosion have faced damages to the point of severe destruction.
One eyewitness speaking to the BBC, Hadi Nasrallah says of the extent of the damage, “Actually we were shocked because usually when it happens, just one area will experience those happenings after an explosion, but this time it was all of Beirut, even areas outside of Beirut.”
A journalist, Sunniva Rose, wrote of the same saying, “It’s pandemonium in my own flat, all the glass is shattered. The extent of the damage is extreme. Even in a mall 2km away – the whole facade was shattered.”
Stay tuned with Media Quotient Inc. for further updates on this developing story.
Credits: BBC, ABC News
