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Beirut explosion: more than 50 dead and 2,750 wounded, says Lebanon health ministry – live updates Beirut explosion: more than 50 dead and 2,750 wounded, says Lebanon health ministry – live updates
(32 minutes later)
Interior minister says ammonium nitrate likely caused at least one explosion amid reports hospitals too damaged to treat patientsInterior minister says ammonium nitrate likely caused at least one explosion amid reports hospitals too damaged to treat patients
Hi everyone, my name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest from Beirut for the next while. As Oliver mentioned, I lived in Lebanon until March this year. My thoughts are with everyone there.
If you are following along from there, please do send footage, news, tips and anything else you feel may be relevant to me on Twitter @helenrsullivan (DMs are open) or via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.
I’m going to hand over now to my colleague, Helen Sullivan. She also lived in Beirut, and just left in March.
Thank you for reading, and if you’re in Beirut, Salamtik.
Two huge explosions have rocked Lebanon’s capital city, killing at least 50 people, injuring thousands more, and sending an enormous blast wave across the city that shattered windows, knocked down doors and shook buildings.
The scale of the damage caused by the blast is huge, with buildings miles from the port explosion in ruin.
While the cause is still unconfirmed, Lebanon’s interior minister said stores of ammonium nitrate likely caused the explosion.
Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, has suggested a warehouse that authorities claim was the source of the blast had been the subject of warnings going back to 2014. He said he would “reveal facts” about the warehouse soon, but does not want to pre-empt an investigation.
Governments worldwide have offered support, including the UK, France, the US, Canada and Israel.
The blast comes at a terrible time for Lebanon, which is on the brink of financial collapse.
Beirut is a small city, but the scale of the blast is staggering.Beirut is a small city, but the scale of the blast is staggering.
I lived there between 2012 and 2015, and I’m hearing accounts of ruined apartments and wounded people miles away from the port blast. It is hard to capture that devastation in photos.I lived there between 2012 and 2015, and I’m hearing accounts of ruined apartments and wounded people miles away from the port blast. It is hard to capture that devastation in photos.
Ghada Alsharif, a reporter from the local Daily Star newspaper, has taken a video of their destroyed office.Ghada Alsharif, a reporter from the local Daily Star newspaper, has taken a video of their destroyed office.
Canada too:Canada too:
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterates the UK’s offer of support.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterates the UK’s offer of support.
Relatedly, a former Economist and Sunday Times journalist, Mile Amoore, says the British embassy in Beirut refused to add brother-in-law “to the list”, who he said is Syrian but married to Amoore’s British sister.Relatedly, a former Economist and Sunday Times journalist, Mile Amoore, says the British embassy in Beirut refused to add brother-in-law “to the list”, who he said is Syrian but married to Amoore’s British sister.
AFP news agency is citing the health ministry with the new figuresAFP news agency is citing the health ministry with the new figures
Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, has just addressed the country on television. He declared Wednesday a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion.Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, has just addressed the country on television. He declared Wednesday a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion.
The warehouse that authorities claim was the source of the blast had been the subject of warnings going back to 2014, he said.The warehouse that authorities claim was the source of the blast had been the subject of warnings going back to 2014, he said.
He would “reveal facts” about the warehouse soon, he said, but does not want to pre-empt an investigation.He would “reveal facts” about the warehouse soon, he said, but does not want to pre-empt an investigation.
“I promise you this catastrophe will not pass without accountability. The people who are responsible will pay a price,” Diab said.“I promise you this catastrophe will not pass without accountability. The people who are responsible will pay a price,” Diab said.
Israel, which is technically still at war with Lebanon, has also offered humanitarian assistance.Israel, which is technically still at war with Lebanon, has also offered humanitarian assistance.
The country’s defence minister, Benny Gantz, said Israel approached the Lebanese government through “international security and diplomatic channels”.The country’s defence minister, Benny Gantz, said Israel approached the Lebanese government through “international security and diplomatic channels”.
Hamad Hasan just announced the updated toll in televised remarks.Hamad Hasan just announced the updated toll in televised remarks.
World governments are starting to react, with Britain and France offering support.World governments are starting to react, with Britain and France offering support.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, says aid is on its way.Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, says aid is on its way.
Dominic Raab, the UK foreign secretary, says London is ready to help.Dominic Raab, the UK foreign secretary, says London is ready to help.
Video shows a massive explosion rocking central Beirut, shattering windows, knocking down doors and shaking buildings several hundred feet away:
Abby Sewell, a freelance journalist, says an overwhelmed hospital in east Beirut is treating people in the parking lot.
A reminder that this blast could not have come at a worse time for Lebanon.
The last story written by our Beirut-based correspondent, Martin Chulov, was about how the country is on the brink of financial collapse.
Coronavirus has compounded longstanding failures of government corruption and financial mismanagement.
Since March, Martin writes, prices of most goods have nearly tripled, while the value of the national currency has fallen by 80% and much of the country has ground to a halt. Those who still have work are surviving month to month.
Marwan Abboud, the governor of Beirut, has arrived at the site of the explosion, where he broke down in tears while speaking to reporters.
He tells a Lebanese journalist that he’s there to search for firefighters who were on the site fighting the fire that broke out before the explosion.“They came to fight the fire, and then they vanished,” he says. “We don’t know where they are. We’re here to look for them.“This reminds me of what happened in Japan, to Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” he says. “I’ve never seen damage of this size and width, and so catastrophic. This is a national catastrophe. This is a problem for Lebanon, and we don’t know how we’re going to get out of it.“This is a lot,” he says. “It’s a lot all at once for people…”
Mohamed Fehmi has just told the MTV Lebanon channel the explosion appeared to have been caused by “huge quantities of ammonium nitrate” being stored at the port.
This backs up what the custom’s director-general was quoted as saying to another Lebanese news channel, Al Mayadeen.
See below some photos of Beirut after the blast:
Here is some quick analysis from my colleague, Peter Beaumont.
Amid highly conflicting and vague initial explanations over the cause of the Beirut explosion, a few things stand out. Most of the video footage that has been posted on social media, appears to begin with the aftermath of the first of the two explosions.
A tall building is visible in the port area and next to it a fiercely burning fire is occasionally visible through the smoke. Also clear in many of the videos are a series of white flashes just below the main cloud of dark smoke.
One explanation that was quickly given was that these are detonating fireworks from a stored cache being set off by the fire.
Another potential explanation is that this could be ammunition that is being set off and is burning as you would expect to see when ammunition is hit or is being destroyed.
The secondary explosion is more puzzling still. An early explanation was that it involved warehoused nitrates exploding, or other stored “highly explosive material” as claimed by Lebanon’s internal security chief without being more explicit.
One of the most common nitrates in industrial use is ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers. It is not ordinarily so explosive in its own right.
When it has been used in homemade explosives, by the IRA and Norwegian far right terrorist Anders Breivik among others, it has been mixed with other materials and is often detonated with a small amount of a more conventional explosive.
And slowed down frame by frame, the video on social media shows a second, highly symmetrical blast taking place at ground level all at once, throwing up a wall of dust and then a cloud into the air and tremendous speed. It suggests the release of a huge amount of energy which in turn creates a devastating pressure wave that carries debris over a least a kilometre.
None of which is to say that this is not a terrible accident involving a freak coincidence of circumstances. The 1947 Galveston fire in Texas involved a ship carrying nitrates and a fire that released other materials into a deadly explosive mix that killed over 500 people.
Israeli officials have denied involvement in the Beirut port explosion.
“Israel has nothing to do with the incident,” the official said on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters.
The country’s foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, told Israeli N12 television news that the explosion was most likely an accident caused by a fire.
Tensions have been high this week following a cross-border confrontation between Israel and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah.
Here’s our story from last week:
The huge scale of the blast is becoming apparent as more photos show damage in many areas Beirut, some of which are far away from the port.
Beirut’s airport, for example, is 10 km (6 miles) away, but this photo from the Dubai-based news website, Al-Aan, shows extensive damage.
The Associated Press is quoting Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh as saying there are “hundreds of casualties” in Beirut, including dead and wounded.