Lebanon, Beirut Explosion: Crisis, Cause, Effects, Death Rate, And Everything Else You Need To Know.
Beirut: On the afternoon of 4 August 2020, two blasts befell at the harbor of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The second explosion was extremely powerful, and caused at least 220 deaths, 7,000 injuries, US$10–15 billion in property damage, and left a predicted 300,000 people homeless. The event caused a leak of about 2,750 tonnes (3,030 short tons; 2,710 long tons) of ammonium nitrate – equivalent to around 1.2 kilotons of TNT (5.0 TJ) – which was confiscated by the Lebanese government from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus and then stored in the port without proper safety measures for six years. The degree of this explosion is considered to be one of the most powerful non-nuclear blasts in history sources say that it was felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, and parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus more than 250 km away.
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International said that the fire was inflamed by workers welding a door at a warehouse. A former port worker said, "There were 30 to 40 nylon bags of fireworks inside warehouse". Although it remains unclear whether fireworks, ammunition, or something else stored next to the ammonium nitrate might have been involved in worsening the warehouse fire and igniting the ammonium nitrate which had lead to the immense explosion.
Based on a study of videos, a team from the University of Sheffield measured that the explosion was the equivalent of 1,000 to 1,500 tonnes of TNT that is about a 10th of the severity of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
The destruction from the blast affected over half of Beirut, which likely cost over $15 billion and guaranteed losses at around $3 billion. Almost ninety percent of the hotels in the city were damaged and three hospitals destroyed, while two more underwent damage. Dozens of injured people brought to nearby hospitals could not be admitted because of the damage to the hospitals. Windows and other establishments of glass across the city were fragmented.
After the explosions, at least 220 people were confirmed dead and more than 6,000 casualties, with about 110 people still missing. Hundreds of immigrants from at least 22 countries were among these catastrophes.
Many Lebanese were disappointed by the government's obligations of transparency and answerability, and there were conflicts between protesters and policemen.
The outrage and marches have continued even after the government's withdrawal, with many people seeing last week's fatal explosion as the result of years of deep rooted corruption and mismanagement.
