Lebanon Blast: 78 Dead, Over 4000 Injured As Massive Explosion Shatters Lives In Beirut; A Look At What Happened

A massive explosion ripped through central Beirut on Tuesday and sent up a huge mushroom cloud-shaped shockwave, flipping cars and damaging distant buildings. Lebanon PM said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse caused the blast.

Two huge explosions rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut, wounding dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

Lebanon Explosion: A massive blast in port warehouses near central Beirut rocked the city sending seismic shockwaves, flattening the port, damaging buildings across the capital, and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky on Tuesday. ALSO READ|Massive Explosions Rock Beirut Ahead Of Ex-PM Assassination Case Verdict | Watch Terrifying Video According to a report in the New York Times, the Lebanese Health Ministry said that at least 78 people had died and 4,000 suffered injuries in the explosions and fire that shook Beirut. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said, "About 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored in the Beirut port warehouse that exploded Tuesday, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital."

Multiple angles of explosion. Including slow motion #Beirut #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/hGqxnsy4j9

— Rohit Sahota (@RohitSahota008) August 4, 2020

"It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures," he said at a defence council meeting, a spokesman told a press conference. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further after Tuesday`s blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead. It was the most powerful explosion in years in Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections. IN PICS: Disastrous Explosions Shock Lebanon's Beirut Creating A Scary Scene; Several Feared Dead He called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared.

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For blocks around the port, bloodied residents staggered through streets lined with overturned cars and littered with rubble from shattered buildings. Windows and doors were blown out kilometers (miles) away, including at the city’s only international airport. Army helicopters helped battle fires raging at the port. The secretary-general of the Kataeb political party, Nizar Najarian, was killed in the blast, and among those injured was Kamal Hayek, the chairman of the state-owned electricity company, who was in critical condition, the news agency reported. Local media showed people trapped beneath the rubble. A witness described the first explosion as deafening, and video footage showed wrecked cars and blast-damaged buildings.

What's the situation in Lebanon?

Lebanon is experiencing political turmoil, with street demonstrations against the government's handling of the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. Many blame the ruling elite who have dominated politics for years and amassed their own wealth while failing to carry out the sweeping reforms necessary to solve the country's problems. People have to deal with daily power cuts, a lack of safe drinking water, and limited public healthcare. There has also been tension on the border with Israel, which said last week that it had thwarted an attempt by Hezbollah to infiltrate Israeli territory. The blast happened close to the scene of the huge car bombing which killed ex-PM Hariri. Tuesday's blast also came days before the long-awaited verdict in the trial at a special court in the Netherlands of four men accused of orchestrating the attack.