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The explosion killed more than 100 people, another 4,000 more. were injured.
Here are the facts that are already known about this tragedy.
What happened?
The first major explosion in the Beirut port area occurred around 6 p.m. local (and Lithuanian) time. It started a fire, during which other minor explosions occurred. Soon a huge explosion trembled, razing almost the entire port and surrounding buildings.
Seismologists reported that the power of the blast, which shook the windows of Beirut International Airport buildings 9 km away, was equivalent to a magnitude 3.3 earthquake.
Images released from the videos show a fireball rising much higher than the towers of the surrounding storage facilities, and then a plume of smoke rising into the sky.
VIDEO: Beirut was recorded as being rocked by two powerful explosions: thousands of people were injured
Why is the explosion so serious?
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate (nitrate) had been exploited in the port warehouse.
“This is a disaster in every sense of the word,” said Lebanese Health Minister Hassan Hamad.
Ammonium Nitrate is a granular nitrogen fertilizer that is used for pre-planting fertilization or additional fertilization during vegetation. This odorless chemical has caused many catastrophic explosions in industrial plants.
The mixture of ammonium nitrate and furnace fuel produces a highly explosive mixture that is widely used in the construction industry. However, it is also used by militant groups such as the Taliban to manufacture improvised explosive devices.
VIDEO: The explosion in Beirut has devastated almost the entire port, vital for a country in economic crisis
Abbas Ibrahim, director of the Lebanese Intelligence and Security Agency, said that the ammonium nitrate seized a few years ago was stored in a port warehouse.
Intentional explosion?
So far, Lebanese officials have taken the position that the explosion was unintentional.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that he had been told by several US generals that the Beirut bombings took place after a “bomb of some kind” was detonated.
“It’s like a horrible attack,” Trump said.
But a Pentagon spokesman, when asked about these presidential comments, told the AFP news agency: “We have nothing to say to you. An explanation should be sent to the White House. “
The Diab government called the situation in the port before the blast “unacceptable” and promised an in-depth investigation.
VIDEO: People who have survived the nightmare in Beirut are waiting for news about their loved ones: the shock wave just knocked everyone out
How many victims?
The explosions killed more than 100 people, another 4,000 more. were injured, the Lebanese Red Cross said on Wednesday, providing the latest data on the victims.
Search and rescue teams are still surveying the areas around the port, the Red Cross added.
Reports of casualties were received immediately after the explosion that shattered the windows of buildings in many areas of the capital.
Whats Next?
The Lebanese National Defense Council has declared Beirut a disaster area and Diab has called on Lebanon’s allies to support the country and send aid.
President Michel Aoun has announced that 100 billion will be allocated from the crisis fund to help the victims and the city. lira (55 million euros).
Yet debt-ridden Lebanon is currently grappling with the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, and its hospitals were struggling with an influx of patients even before the explosion due to the coronary pandemic.
The United States, France, Qatar, Iran, and even Israel’s stubborn opponent in Lebanon have offered help.
In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Lebanon on Thursday to express his solidarity with the country after the massive explosion that devastated his capital.
Macron’s office told the AP news agency on Wednesday that the French leader would meet with Lebanese political leaders, but did not provide further details.
Lebanon was previously a French protectorate. The two countries still have close political and economic ties.
France is also sending several tons of aid cargo and rescue brigades after the explosion in the port of Beirut, which has claimed at least a hundred lives and thousands more injured.
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