The huge explosion, at the port of Beirut, Lebanon's capital, has left at least 135 people death, more than 4,000 injured. The president announced three days of national mourning and a two-week state of emergency.
At the same time, the authorities has placed several port officials under house arrest and has launched investigations against them.
explosion on Tuesday (August 4), mushroom clouds rose and damaged buildings. Rescuers were still searching for hundreds of missing persons on Wednesday.
The President of Lebanon, Michel Ohn (Michel Aoun), said that explosion believed it was caused by 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the port warehouse for many years. He stated that the lack of safe storage of such large quantities of chemicals was "unacceptable ".
authorities are investigating to find the exact cause of the explosion. The Supreme Defence Council of Lebanon stated that those involved might face a "maximum penalty ".
He also announced that government would invest 100 billion lire (about $66 million) in emergency funding and said it would declare a two-week state of emergency.
One The British Broadcasting Corporation journalist reported on the scene that the presence of many bodies and serious damage was explosion sufficient to paralyze the Beirut port. Lebanese health minister said earlier that hospitals were already overwhelmed.
The building in the port area was nearly destroyed.
explosion blew up windows miles away
How did Beirut explosion happen?
explosion happened around 18:00 local time tuesday (15:00 gmt), initially only a port fire.
Witness nasrallah (Hadi Nasrallah) told The British Broadcasting Corporation journalist that he didn't think it would happen when he saw the port fire. After a few seconds of hearing loss, he felt the big deal. Then the glass of a number of cars beside him burst, the fragments flew across, and the glass of the building shop.
The British Broadcasting Corporation journalist, she was in Beirut, where she was five minutes from the port area and could feel shock and shock waves. "The building I live in is shaking and almost collapses ," she said. All the windows were blown open. "
The Lebanese authorities said earlier that the explosion appeared to be an accident, not a deliberate one. Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diyab described explosion as "a disaster" and said the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
And the explosion was felt by cyprus 150 miles away.
According to local media reports, the scene twice explosion, many people trapped under the ruins. A witness described the first explosion as deafening, with cars and the wreckage of the destroyed building visible.
"All the buildings around here have collapsed ," a witness near the port told AFP. I was walking through the glass and debris in the dark. "
What is ammonium nitrate?
Ammonium nitrate explosion releases harmful gases.
Ammonium nitrate has many uses, but is most commonly used in agricultural fertilizers and dynamite ..2
Ammonium nitrate is easy to explosion. in contact with fire and releases toxic gases when explosion, including nitrogen oxides (nitrogen oxides) and ammonia (ammonia gas).
Because ammonium nitrate is very flammable, there are strict regulations on how to store it safely. One of them is that the storage location should be completely fire-proof and no ammonium nitrate should be placed in any drain, pipe or other passage so as not to cause greater damage by the fire in the event of an accident.
Nevertheless, former British intelligence officer Philip Ingram (Philip Ingram) told Radio 4's Morning News program Today (Today) that to make ammonium nitrate flammable and explosive, a particular environment must emerge to cause such a change. For example, fuel pollution. Otherwise, ammonium nitrate is still a relatively safe substance as long as it is properly stored.
International response
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diyab (Hassan Diab) called on the international community to help, saying :" I urgently appeal to friendly and fraternal countries... Support Lebanon and help us heal serious injuries. "
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Boris Johnson) tweeted :" The photo and film in Beirut tonight are shocking. I pray for all those caught up in this terrible accident. "
"Britain stands ready to support it in all possible ways, including those affected by the British citizen ."".10
U.S. President Donald Trump, who previously described the explosion as a "terrible attack "(terrible attack), expressed his deepest sympathy for the country and its people.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Mike Pompeo) said the United States parliament provide the necessary assistance. He wrote in his Twitter :" We are monitoring and are ready to assist the Lebanese people to recover from this terrible tragedy. "
explosion basically destroyed the port facilities.
Lebanon has been tense in recent times, and the court plancountry-backed court plan this week to rule on the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (Rafik Hariri) in 2005.
For Lebanon, the explosion is a "disaster ". The new crown continues to spread in Lebanon. At the same time, the health crisis has also caused damage to Lebanon's economic, resulting in high unemployment and growing social contradictions.
