By Michelle Mairena
At around 5 p.m. yesterday, two explosions shook Lebanon’s capital and largest city, Beirut, killing at least 100 people and injuring over 4,000. Today, as the city’s residents wake up to streets buried in debris, rescue workers continue their search for over 100 missing individuals, and the country, amid an already existent slew of financial and gubernatorial challenges, continues investigating and mourning this tragedy.
“We are witnessing a real catastrophe,” said Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab at a press conference after the explosions. “I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened, to hold him accountable and impose the most severe penalties,” he continued.
Although it is not clear what caused the explosions yet, initial reports suggested that a fireworks company was involved. Prime Minister Diab later said that the incident was caused by an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate — a highly reactive chemical — that was left unsecured for years in a warehouse in Beirut’s port, where the explosions took place. This is widely believed to be the huge blast’s cause, given how a mushroom-like pink cloud formed after the explosion’s aftermath — an element many scientists recognize as idiosyncratic to the chemical’s reaction.
The explosions come three days before four men face an international trial for assassinating a former Lebanese Prime Minister 15 years ago, but despite speculations, any link to the tribunal was downplayed and discarded by the Lebanese government. Israel, Lebanon’s neighboring country who has a history of military conflict with the nation, has too denied any responsibility for the incident, pledging to send medical and humanitarian aid to the country.
Much uncertainty still lingers on what caused the explosions, which were felt in over a 100 mile radius and have been subjected to global conspiracy. But of the incident, one thing is certain: an aftermath scene of utter devastation is haunting Beirut.
The Lebanese Red Cross has set up hundreds of temporary shelters across the city for over 1,000 families. Hospitals are overwhelmed, with local reporters tweeting images of medical staff treating patients in a parking lot and the Red Cross issuing an “urgent call for blood donations” at its transfusion centers across the country.
Like the rest of the world, Lebanon is dealing with the health and economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s falling economy, which has been declining for years now, has been made worse by the pandemic outbreak. The country’s currency has plummeted greatly and thousands have lost their jobs.
The explosions, which Beirut’s Governor said will cost around $5 billion to the city in damages, will further exacerbate the country’s crisis, which includes raising anti-government demonstrations across the nation.
The United Nations and various countries have offered to come to Lebanon’s aid, including France, a nation that pledged to send military planes and equipment, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, Qatar, and Iran.
