At Least 78 Killed and Thousands Injured in Two Large Explosions Rip Through Beirut, Killing (Forbes)

At Least 78 Killed and Thousands Injured in Two Large Explosions Rip Through Beirut, Killing  (Forbes)

TOPLINE Two large explosions reportedly caused by confiscated explosive materials ripped through Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Tuesday at around 6 p.m. local time, killing at least 78 people and injuring thousands of others, including the Prime Minister’s wife and daughter.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister confirmed that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate are believed to have exploded in the city’s main port after 6 p.m., initiating a blast that was felt hundreds of miles away in Cyprus.

The climbing death toll has reached 78, with at least 4,000 others injured.

Hospitals are struggling to keep up with the influx of casualties, turning away some with bloody injuries, while Lebanon’s Red Cross has released an urgent call for blood donations

Among those caught in the blast were the Prime Minister’s wife, daughter and consultants, who have been “slightly” injured, according to reports citing the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, and secretary-general of the Kataeb political party, Nizar Najarian, who was killed.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut released a statement warning of “toxic gases released in the explosion,” encouraging people to wear masks and stay indoors.

President Trump weighed in during his daily coronavirus press conference, saying he had consulted with U.S. generals who agreed it looked like “a terrible attack” and “a bomb of some kind” caused the explosions, though Lebanese officials have indicated a warehouse fire catalyzed the blasts and U.S. Defense Department officials told CNN there is no indication of an attack.

The explosions come days before a UN tribunal was due to issue a verdict in the trial over the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. 

World leaders, including the UK’s Boris Johnson, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and France’s Emmanuel Macron, all offered Lebanon their assistance. President of the European Council Charles Michel said the European Union stood “ready to provide assistance and support,” while the U.S.’s ambassador in Lebanon Dorothy Shea expressed “heartfelt sympathies” to the victims and their families. Israel’s defence minister also proposed humanitarian assistance from his country, through Israel is technically still at war with Lebanon.

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