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Beirut explosion: Lebanon PM laments 'catastrophe' that killed at least 100 and wounded 4,000 – live updates Beirut explosion: Lebanon PM laments 'catastrophe' that killed at least 100 and wounded 4,000 – live updates
(32 minutes later)
Hassan Diab appeals for international assistance as search continues for missing in devastated cityHassan Diab appeals for international assistance as search continues for missing in devastated city
Witnesses in Cyprus, the island nation barely 100 miles from Beirut – say the blast was not only heard but felt. Local media reported Cypriot authorities being placed on alert within minutes of the explosion with many comparing it to a similar blast in southern Cyprus nine years ago at a munitions dump in the naval base of Mari. Described at the time as the fifth largest accidental explosion on the planet, the blast left 12 dead including the commander of the country’s navy. Some more aerial imagery from the scene of the explosion, which has destroyed silos containing 85% of the country’s grain, as well as a warehouse containing medical supplies.
Among the highly explosive material exposed to the summer heat in open storage at the base were artillery shells and compressed gunpowder. In the shockwave emitted by the blast the island’s power plant was instantly knocked out. The Red Cross is coordinating with the Lebanese health ministry to set up morgues because hospitals have become so overwhelmed, George Kettani, the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, has told Reuters.
The EU’s most easterly state, Cyprus offered to send medical teams to the neighbouring country if required. Earlier today foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides said, if necessary, Cypriot hospitals were also “ready to accept injured people for treatment.” A diplomat in the Cypriot embassy in Beirut was wounded in the blast, according to the island’s news agency, with the building and ambassadorial residence sustaining heavy damage as a result of the explosion. In the aftermath of the attack, hopsitals asked people with non-life-threatening injuries to stay at home because they were unable to cope with a huge influx in patients. Several hospitals were damaged in the explosion. In Gemmayze district, medical staff have been forced to treat patients in a car park, while others have reported shortages of key medicines including antibiotics.
Witnesses in Cyprus, barely 100 miles from Beirut, say the blast was not only heard but felt. Local media reported Cypriot authorities being placed on alert within minutes of the explosion with many comparing it to a similar blast in southern Cyprus nine years ago at a munitions dump in the naval base of Mari.
Described at the time as the fifth largest accidental explosion on the planet, the blast left 12 dead including the commander of the country’s navy. Among the highly explosive material exposed to the summer heat in open storage at the base were artillery shells and compressed gunpowder. In the shockwave emitted by the blast the island’s power plant was instantly knocked out.
The EU’s most easterly state, Cyprus offered to send medical teams to the neighbouring country if required. Earlier today, the foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides said, if necessary, Cypriot hospitals were also “ready to accept injured people for treatment”. A diplomat in the Cypriot embassy in Beirut was wounded in the blast, according to the island’s news agency, with the building and ambassadorial residence sustaining heavy damage as a result of the explosion.
A moment of hope and celebration in Beirut. People cheer and clap as a survivor is rescued from rubble:A moment of hope and celebration in Beirut. People cheer and clap as a survivor is rescued from rubble:
There are differing reports about the scale of the impact across Beirut. Some reports, based on statements from Beirut governor Marwan Abboud, suggest hundreds have lost their homes, while MTV news has reported as 250,000 people have been left homeless. It is not clear if these higher estimates refer to people whose homes have been damaged by the impact of the explosion. This post has been updated to reflect this lack of clarity. There are differing reports about the scale of the impact across Beirut. Some reports, based on statements from Beirut governor Marwan Abboud, suggest hundreds have lost their homes, while MTV news has reported as 250,000 people have been left homeless.
Rescue workers are continuing to search through rubble at the port, according to civil defence director general Raymond Khattar, who said it is believed that people remain trapped. It is not clear if these higher estimates refer to people whose homes have been damaged by the impact of the explosion. This post has been updated to reflect this lack of clarity.
Rescue workers are continuing to search through rubble at the port, according to the civil defence director general, Raymond Khattar, who said it is believed people remain trapped.
There is concern that the damaged structures are unstable and at risk of collapsing, MTV news reported. So far, six bodies have been recovered from inside the port and three from the sea. Many more remain missing.There is concern that the damaged structures are unstable and at risk of collapsing, MTV news reported. So far, six bodies have been recovered from inside the port and three from the sea. Many more remain missing.
Sources told MTV that members of the army, intelligence, and Beirut fire brigade were present at the scene when the explosion happened.Sources told MTV that members of the army, intelligence, and Beirut fire brigade were present at the scene when the explosion happened.
Britain is assessing what support to provide to Lebanon, according to junior education minister Nick Gibb.“The government is working urgently this morning on what we can do to help the Lebanese government with technical support and of course working with our allies to provide financial assistance,” Gibb told BBC radio.Britain is assessing what support to provide to Lebanon, according to junior education minister Nick Gibb.“The government is working urgently this morning on what we can do to help the Lebanese government with technical support and of course working with our allies to provide financial assistance,” Gibb told BBC radio.
“There will be further announcements this morning and later today about what support we will be providing to Lebanon,” he said.“There will be further announcements this morning and later today about what support we will be providing to Lebanon,” he said.
My colleague Martin Chulov has sent the following update from Beirut:My colleague Martin Chulov has sent the following update from Beirut:
Beirut has awoken to a new sense of vulnerability this morning the day after one of the most shocking events to have struck the city.Beirut has awoken to a new sense of vulnerability this morning the day after one of the most shocking events to have struck the city.
The sound of mountains of glass being swept from balconies and cascading on to roads was a soundtrack to an eerie, fitful night. Ambulances wailed. Building guards sat silently in the dark on plastic chairs. There was nothing much to safeguard anymore, nor much of a will to do so.The sound of mountains of glass being swept from balconies and cascading on to roads was a soundtrack to an eerie, fitful night. Ambulances wailed. Building guards sat silently in the dark on plastic chairs. There was nothing much to safeguard anymore, nor much of a will to do so.
Tired emergency workers trudged through the pre-dawn gloom, some holding sledgehammers, others carrying water. A car park in the Gemmayze district had been turned into a triage centre. Orange plastic stretchers, slick with blood, were lined up from one side to the other.Tired emergency workers trudged through the pre-dawn gloom, some holding sledgehammers, others carrying water. A car park in the Gemmayze district had been turned into a triage centre. Orange plastic stretchers, slick with blood, were lined up from one side to the other.
As a ravaged city slowly picks up the pieces, the overwhelming question – how could this happen? – is being asked in ever more strident terms. If this was, as is now increasingly suspected, a catastrophic industrial accident stemming from breathtaking negligence, who will pay the price?As a ravaged city slowly picks up the pieces, the overwhelming question – how could this happen? – is being asked in ever more strident terms. If this was, as is now increasingly suspected, a catastrophic industrial accident stemming from breathtaking negligence, who will pay the price?
Politicians, already at odds with vast parts of Lebanese society, have pledged to fix up to a million or more windows shattered in the blast. With their credibility at an all-time low among voters ravaged by an economic implosion and a coronavirus lockdown that is amplifying a nationwide collapse, few seem inclined to believe their leaders.Politicians, already at odds with vast parts of Lebanese society, have pledged to fix up to a million or more windows shattered in the blast. With their credibility at an all-time low among voters ravaged by an economic implosion and a coronavirus lockdown that is amplifying a nationwide collapse, few seem inclined to believe their leaders.
“If any of them will hold each other to account, I might change my mind,” said a shop worker, Khaled Qudsi. “But you can bet your life that if any of their commercial interests were tied up to this accident, it will be swept away and blamed on a straw man.”“If any of them will hold each other to account, I might change my mind,” said a shop worker, Khaled Qudsi. “But you can bet your life that if any of their commercial interests were tied up to this accident, it will be swept away and blamed on a straw man.”
Several countries are dispatching emergency workers and medical staff to help Lebanon recover from the disaster.Several countries are dispatching emergency workers and medical staff to help Lebanon recover from the disaster.
France says it is sending two planes with dozens of emergency workers, a mobile medical unit and 15 tonnes of aid. French president Emmanuel Macron’s office says the aid should allow for the treatment of about 500 victims. French peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, a former French protectorate, have been helping since the explosions, Macron’s office said.France says it is sending two planes with dozens of emergency workers, a mobile medical unit and 15 tonnes of aid. French president Emmanuel Macron’s office says the aid should allow for the treatment of about 500 victims. French peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, a former French protectorate, have been helping since the explosions, Macron’s office said.
Jordan says a military field hospital including all necessary personnel will be dispatched, according to the royal court, while Egypt has opened a field hospital in Beirut to receive the wounded.Jordan says a military field hospital including all necessary personnel will be dispatched, according to the royal court, while Egypt has opened a field hospital in Beirut to receive the wounded.
Czech interior minister Jan Hamáček says Lebanon has accepted an offer to send a team of 37 rescuers with sniffer dogs to Beirut. Denmark also says it is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, and Greece says it is ready to help Lebanese authorities with all means at its disposal.Czech interior minister Jan Hamáček says Lebanon has accepted an offer to send a team of 37 rescuers with sniffer dogs to Beirut. Denmark also says it is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, and Greece says it is ready to help Lebanese authorities with all means at its disposal.
Here are some more aerial images showing the scene of the explosion.Here are some more aerial images showing the scene of the explosion.
The blast destroyed crucial grain silos at the port, which are thought to have stored around 85% of the country’s grain.The blast destroyed crucial grain silos at the port, which are thought to have stored around 85% of the country’s grain.
Lebanon’s state-run national news agency quoted Raoul Nehme, the minister of economy and trade, as saying that all the wheat stored at the facility had been contaminated and couldn’t be used. However, he insisted Lebanon had enough wheat for its immediate needs. Nehme said Lebanon also would import more wheat.Lebanon’s state-run national news agency quoted Raoul Nehme, the minister of economy and trade, as saying that all the wheat stored at the facility had been contaminated and couldn’t be used. However, he insisted Lebanon had enough wheat for its immediate needs. Nehme said Lebanon also would import more wheat.
Lebanon depends on imports for about 80% of its wheat supply, according to Associated Press.Lebanon depends on imports for about 80% of its wheat supply, according to Associated Press.
Lebanese prime minister Hassan Diab, in a short televised speech, has appealed to all countries and friends of Lebanon to extend help to the nation, saying: “We are witnessing a real catastrophe.”
He reiterated his pledge that those responsible for the massive explosion at Beirut’s port will pay the price, without commenting on the cause, the Associated Press has reported.Smoke was still rising from the port this morning. Major downtown streets are littered with debris and damaged vehicles, and building facades blown out.
Here’s some analysis from my colleague Tom Phillips, former China correspondent, who recalls the devastating 2015 warehouse disaster in Tianjin, which also involved ammonium nitrate:
The images coming out of Beirut are horribly reminiscent of the destruction inflicted on the Chinese city of Tianjin by a 2015 warehouse disaster that killed more than 170 people and left hundreds injured.Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, has blamed today’s catastrophe on the explosion of 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make fertilisers and explosives. The same highly explosive compound was also involved in Tianjin, a major port city 70 miles south-east of the capital, Beijing.On the night of 12 August 2015, a series of cataclysmic detonations rocked an area of warehouses where large quantities of hazardous chemicals, also including sodium cyanide and potassium nitrate, were being stored, in some cases illegally. Chinese authorities later claimed the first explosion had been triggered after the heat of summer caused a highly flammable compound called nitrocellulose to spontaneously ignite. Nearby stores of ammonium nitrate then caught fire and exploded. Firefighters who rushed to the scene reportedly attempted to extinguish the initial blaze with water – only to inadvertently exacerbate the situation because of the presence of hazardous flammable chemicals. The majority of those killed were firefighters, including at least one teenager. Such was the force of the Tianjin explosions that they registered as small earthquakes. Then, as now, witnesses filmed apocalyptic footage showing the scale of the inferno.
The impact of yesterday’s explosion is clear from this image, which shows the aftermath at the site of the blast.
Hospitals in Lebanon were already struggling with supplies due to the economic crisis. It is now being reported that medical goods, which were being held near to the site of the blast, were destroyed in the explosion.
A Red Cross official is quoted by the Daily Star stating that the death toll rose overnight to at least 100, and that more than 4,000 people are wounded.
Beirut governor Marwan Abboud later told a local radio station that more than 100 people remain missing, including several firefighters, the newspaper reports.
“Beirut has never gone through what it went through yesterday,” Abboud said.
As is common after major disasters, there has been some confusion over the death toll. A named Red Cross official was earlier quoted by local broadcasters saying that the number of fatalities was expected to reach 100. However, it now appears that the number of deaths has passed this grim milestone.
Today’s edition of al-Akhbar newspaper, which shows a photo of a destroyed port with the words: The Great Collapse.
From Associated Press’s senior producer, Dalal Mawad:
Residents, desperate to reach their loved ones, are sharing pictures of missing relatives, as well as phone numbers online. On Instagram, a page, locatevictimsbeirut, has also been set up to try to locate people in the aftermath of the blast.
Rappler news in the Philippines reports that 12 Filipinos are missing in Beirut.
The head of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettana, has told Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International that there are over 4,000 people injured, some in a serious condition, and that the number of fatalities may reach 100. Some victims are still trapped under rubble, Kettana said.
This has not been confirmed by officials.