This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
Beirut Blast Leaves Trail of Destruction ¶
On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion shook Beirut's harbour area, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The blast, which officials said was the result of fire catching in a warehouse storing hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, reduced the port to a post-nuclear landscape.
Entire port facilities were engulfed in fire, with ships ablaze at sea and buildings crumbling.
Security forces cordoned off the area, littered with glass and debris, as ambulances ferried the dead out for at least three hours.
Fire trucks rushed in and out of the blast zone, while helicopters flew overhead, dumping water on the fires.
Inside the port, hangars looked like charred cans, with everything destroyed beyond recognition.
Abandoned luggage was strewn across the area, with an unattended corpse lying next to an untouched bag.
Every parked vehicle within a radius of several hundred metres sustained damage from the blast, which was felt in Cyprus, 240 kilometres away.
The confirmed death toll stood at 78, but with more than 3,000 wounded and hospitals struggling to cope, a much higher final count seemed inevitable.
Members of the security forces broke down in tears when one of their colleagues was brought to them dead on a stretcher.
A ship anchored off the port was ablaze, causing panic among the authorities fearing the fuel onboard would trigger another tragedy.
At least 10 crew members of two cargo ships damaged in the explosion were waiting to be treated by medics.
"The ship is sinking in the water, the explosion caused an opening in it, and there are serious injuries on board," said an Egyptian member of the crew of one of the ships, Mero Star.
