Destruction wrought by chemical blast - 12th August 2020

A seismic blast has decimated huge swathes of Beirut, the Lebanese capital. The explosion engulfed the city last Tuesday, 5th August, emanating from the port, where a fire ignited a much bigger reaction.

This blaze reached a store of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a highly combustible compound which ignited with such force that the blast could be felt on Cyprus, a distance of over 240 kilometres from its source.

Leaving a scene of destruction reminiscent of an earthquake, it has made in the region of 300,000 residents homeless, a third of whom are children, wounded 6,000, and caused 220 deaths.

Lebanon has since welcomed international donations of aid while the country’s government has faced relentless calls to step down over its gross failings surrounding the crisis. These protests resulted in the entire government, including the Prime Minister, resigning on Monday, 10th August.