This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On August 4, 2020, a powerful warehouse explosion shook the capital Beirut, killing at least 78 people and injuring nearly 4,000 in a toll that officials expected to rise.
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya sent a message of solidarity and encouragement to President Michel Aoun and the people of Lebanon, expressing Kenya's sympathy for the Lebanese people and wishing them God's comfort as they come to terms with the destruction of their iconic capital city.
According to Lebanese State media, rescue workers dug through the rubble looking for survivors of the blast, which was caused by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port without safety measures for six years.
President Michel Aoun described the storage of the highly explosive material as 'unacceptable' and called for an emergency cabinet meeting on August 5, 2020.
Officials did not say what caused the initial blaze that set off the blast, but a security source and local media suggested it was started by welding work being carried out on a hole in the warehouse.
George Kettani, the head of Lebanon's Red Cross, described the scene as a 'huge catastrophe' with victims and casualties everywhere.
