Fatalities Expected to Rise in A Blast That Shock Beirut, Injuring Thousands and Killing 78

Rescue workers in Lebanon had to dig through the rubble as they searched for survivors of the powerful explosion in a warehouse that shook the Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. The explosion was so lethal that it resulted in the death of over 78 people and injured more than 4000 people. These numbers are expected to rise as rescue operations continue.

Tuesday evening blast at the port warehouse that stored highly explosive materials was the most powerful blast in Beirut for many years. This is so bad for an economy that is already reeling from the economic crisis and the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Michael Amount, who is the president, stated that about 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that is used in bombs and fertilizers, were stored in the warehouse for the past 6 years without any known safety measures. According to the president, this is something that is not acceptable.

Authorities haven’t yet stated exactly what caused the explosion, thus setting up this massive blast. The local media and security source stated that the blast was started by the welding activities that were being undertaken on a hole in that particular warehouse.

What is being witnessed right now is a massive catastrophe as stated by George Kettan, who is the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross agency. Because there are many casualties and victims, there is no doubt this is a huge issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible before things get worse.

A few hours after this blast that struck just after 1800hrs, the fire blazed the entire post district, casting a massive orange glow in the entire night sky with helicopters hovering around and ambulance sirens being heard across the entire capital.

Tuesday blast reviewed the bad memories of the 1975 to 1990 civil war and what happened thereafter. After Lebanon citizens endured the Israel air raids, car bombings, and heavy shelling. Initially, most people thought that an earthquake had hit them.

Injured, weeping, and dazed, people walked across the streets searching for their lost relatives with fear that they were stuck in the rubbles.

One of the residents stated that the blast was so huge that it blew him some meters away. Covered in blood and a daze, many people were confused and did not know what had happened. A reminder of the previous blast that hit the US consulate.

Hassan Diab, who is the prime minister, promised the residents that there would be transparency for that deadly explosion and anyone responsible would be held accountable.

The US consulate warned residents to wear masks to protect themselves from the toxic gases that were released by this exposition.