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Explosions Rock East Beirut Huge Explosion Rocks Beirut: Live Updates
(32 minutes later)
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Two explosions shook Beirut, the second one with enough force to break windows over a radius of miles, damaging and shaking buildings, and strewing debris over a wide area.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — A pair of explosions shook the center of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, damaging buildings in several neighborhoods, causing widespread injuries and sending a giant pink cloud rising from near the city’s port. Videos posted online showed a shock wave erupting from the second explosion, knocking people down and enveloping much of the center city in a cloud of dust and smoke. Cars were overturned and streets were blocked by debris, forcing many injured people to walk to hospitals.
The state-run National News Agency reported that a fire had broken out in a fireworks storehouse at the port before the explosion. But it was not immediately clear what had caused such a large blast. Flames continued to rise from the rubble well after the explosions, and a cloud of smoke, tinted pink in the sunset, rose thousands of feet into the sky.
Residents of several neighborhoods in East Beirut said their walls had shaken or cracked and their windows shattered. Cars were overturned and many roads were blocked by the debris, forcing people wounded in the blast to walk through the smoke to hospitals. At least one explosion, at about 6 p.m., stemmed from a fire at a warehouse at Beirut’s port, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
At least one hospital was overwhelmed and was turning wounded people away. There were local reports that the warehouse contained fireworks, and in several videos posted online, colored flashes could be seen in the dark smoke rising from the fire, just before the second explosion.
Videos and photos on social media showed two explosions near the water. But it was not clear if fireworks alone could have or did cause the massive blast.
The first blast sent a cloud of smoke billowing above fires and flashing lights that resembled fireworks. The second, much larger explosion, created a cloud of reddish orange smoke and sent a wave of dust. The governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, speaking on television, could not say what had caused the explosion. Breaking into tears, he called it a national catastrophe.
In the aftermath, videos showed cars abandoned in the streets and heavy debris littered over a huge area. As the smoke cleared, small fires could be seen still burning near the port. Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s general security service, toured the damage and said, “it is not possible to get ahead of the investigations and say that there was a terrorist act,” the National News Agency reported.
Even as the extent of casualties was unclear, officials expressed shock. The toll of the explosion was not clear, but videos of the aftermath posted online showed
The governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, speaking on television, could not say what had caused the explosions. Breaking into tears, he called it a national catastrophe. wounded people bleeding amid the dust and debris, and places where flying debris had punched holes in walls and furniture.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning, the state-run National News Agency reported.
A White House spokeswoman, Alyssa Farah, said President Trump had been briefed on the explosions and “we continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The Lebanese Red Cross said that every available ambulance from North Lebanon, Bekaa and South Lebanon was being dispatched to Beirut to help patients.The Lebanese Red Cross said that every available ambulance from North Lebanon, Bekaa and South Lebanon was being dispatched to Beirut to help patients.
If the explosions were found to have been caused intentionally, they would shatter a prolonged stretch of relative calm in the Lebanese capital, despite the country’s worsening economic crisis, proximity to the Syria war, history of sectarian conflict and chronic tensions that have recently intensified with Israel, Lebanon’s southern neighbor. Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning, the National News Agency reported. The Lebanese presidency said on Twitter that President Michel Aoun had instructed the military to aid in the response, and called an emergency meeting of the Supreme Defense Council on Tuesday evening.
Less than a week ago Israel said it had thwarted a raid by a “terrorist squad” from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group that is part of Lebanon’s government, in a disputed border area. At least one hospital was overwhelmed and was turning wounded people away.
Israeli military officials said there was an exchange of gunfire, which Hezbollah denied. On social media, people reported damage to homes and cars far from the port.
The explosions hit Beirut’s northern, industrial waterfront, little more than a mile away from the Grand Serail palace, where Lebanon’s prime minister is based. Many landmarks, including hospitals, mosques, churches and universities are nearby.
They erupted next to a tall building called Beirut Port Silos, at or near a structure identified on maps as a warehouse. Videos showed only twisted metal and chunks of concrete where that warehouse had been, some of it identifiable as the remains of trucks and shipping containers.
Beirut suffered more than its share of explosions — car bombings, shelling and airstrikes — during a prolonged civil war and fighting between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
But if the latest explosions were found to have been caused intentionally, they would shatter a prolonged stretch of relative calm in the Lebanese capital.
Less than a week ago, Israel said it had thwarted a raid by a “terrorist squad” from Hezbollah, the Shiite group that is part of Lebanon’s government, in a disputed border area. Israeli military officials said there was an exchange of gunfire, which Hezbollah denied.
Israeli military officials say Hezbollah has planted many rockets in southern Lebanon that could threaten northern Israel. But In recent years, Hezbollah has refrained from killing Israelis while Israel has largely avoided killing Hezbollah fighters in Syria, where they are fighting on the Syrian government’s side.Israeli military officials say Hezbollah has planted many rockets in southern Lebanon that could threaten northern Israel. But In recent years, Hezbollah has refrained from killing Israelis while Israel has largely avoided killing Hezbollah fighters in Syria, where they are fighting on the Syrian government’s side.
Both Israel and Hezbollah have sought to avoid a war that could devastate Lebanon and Israel.Both Israel and Hezbollah have sought to avoid a war that could devastate Lebanon and Israel.
An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny any involvement by Israel in the explosions on Tuesday. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny any involvement by Israel in the explosion on Tuesday.
Alan Yuhas contributed reporting from Philadelphia, Adam Rasgon from Tel Aviv, Rick Gladstone from Eastham, Mass., and Richard Pérez-Peña from New York.
Alan Yuhas contributed reporting from Philadelphia, Adam Rasgon from Tel Aviv, and Rick Gladstone from Eastham, Mass.