Two serial explosions killed at least 78 people in Beirut, Lebanon and as many as 4000 injured in the blasts, informed the Health Ministry of Lebanon.
According to Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi, the reason of the first blast was probably due to the ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in the port. The second blast set a massive fireball in the sky, and the shockwave of the explosion shattered windows and buildings at least 10 km away.
A BBC reporter in Beirut was online conducting an interview when the #BeirutBlast took place.
This is heartbreaking!pic.twitter.com/pKm4uHasqi
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) August 5, 2020
Prime minister of Lebanon Hassan Diab said that around 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored inside a warehouse in the port area without any preventive measures. Diab has also called for an urgent defence council meeting on the incident. A day of national mourning has been declared on August 5.
During a live streamed holy mass in Beirut , the debris fell on the priest and the parishioners. Praying for #Beirut pic.twitter.com/0q4lQ50xDK
— Steven Nabil (@thestevennabil) August 4, 2020
The massive explosion came just a day ahead of the court verdict related to the killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.