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Beirut Explosion Rocks Lebanon's Capital City: What you Need to Know
Yesterday, we heard the shocking news of the horrific explosions in Lebanon. The two explosions ripped through Beirut killing as of this morning: 100 people, at least 4,000 wounded, and over 300,000 people displaced.
The injured were soon flocking to local hospitals, The New York Times reported that St. George Hospital, for example, one of the city’s biggest, was so severely damaged that patients were sent elsewhere. “Every floor of the hospital is damaged,” said Dr. Peter Noun, the hospital’s chief of pediatric hematology and oncology. “I didn’t see this even during the war. It’s a catastrophe.”
During this national day of mourning in Lebanon, we at Arab America send our prayers to the Lebanese people during this critical time and hope that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to justice.
Where to Donate:
International
- Lebanese Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.lb
- Amel Association: https://amel.org/
- International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/
country/lebanon - Lebanon Needs You: https://lebanoncrisis.carrd.
co/# - American University of Beirut: https://alumni.aub.edu.lb
We have compiled the latest developments from CNN
By Tara John, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes, Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner, Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, and Zamira Rahim, CNN
What you need to know
You might hear about ammonium nitrate today. Here’s what you need to know.
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
We’re still not exactly sure what caused the deadly explosion in Beirut yesterday, but Lebanon’s prime minister said an investigation would focus on an estimated 2,750 metric tons of the explosive ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse.
So what is ammonium nitrate? Also known as AN, it’s a compound of ammonia and nitrogen, which is a highly volatile material used in agricultural fertilizers and bombs.
Disasters involving AN are rare, considering the US uses millions of tons of it every year in fertilizers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “Pure” solid AN is quite stable, but if the compound is mixed with any contaminants, even in small traces, the mixture becomes much more prone to detonation — which is why there are normally stringent government guidelines for how to treat and store it properly.
“In general, the conditions of AN storage are crucial to the safety and stability of the AN. Materials co-located or stored with AN may play a role in its sensitivity to explosion,” the EPA said in a 2015 guide.
For instance, AN shouldn’t be stored with any fuel, organic materials, chlorides, or metals, said the guide — all potential contaminants. The EPA guidelines also recommend fire-resistant walls in the storage unit, noncombustible flooring, and — crucially — controlled temperatures.
AN doesn’t burn, but if exposed to heat, it can melt — which releases combustible toxic gases that can cause an explosion. It’s even more dangerous if there is a large supply of AN all stored together because once a small section of AN begins to melt and explode, the resulting heat can set off the rest of the supply.
Some history: One of the worst disasters in US history involving a form of ammonia occurred in April 1947 when a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate caught fire while docked in Texas City. The fire caused an explosion and additional fires damaged more than 1,000 buildings and killed nearly 400 people, according to the website of the Texas Historical Association.
For perspective, that explosion was triggered by 2,300 US tons (about 2087 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate, according to US Homeland Security.
And the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, a US domestic terror attack that killed 169 people and injured 467, used only two US tons (1.8 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate.
Here’s a satellite view of the scene, before and after the deadly blast
From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy
This satellite image from Planet Labs, Inc, showed the destruction left in the wake of yesterday’s deadly explosion in Beirut.
For comparison, here’s what the port area looked like before the blast:
Beirut port officials to be placed under house arrest, minister says
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem
The Lebanese cabinet has ordered that “officials” involved in the Beirut port explosion be placed under house arrest “in the coming days,” the Lebanese Minister of Displaced People Ghada Shreim said without providing further details.
“There are officials who will stay in their homes in the coming days, pending the conclusion of the investigation and the results are issued. The house arrest will include those who took part in the storage, guarding, and investigating of Hangar 12 from 2014 until today,” Shreim told reporters at the end of today’s cabinet meeting.
Every business in Beirut is impacted by the blast, economic official says
From CNN’s Schams Elwazer
Every single business in Beirut has been affected by yesterday’s deadly blast, Lebanon’s Economy Minister Raoul Nehme said.
“There is not one apartment in Beirut that wasn’t impacted, not one business that wasn’t impacted – whether the storefront of the goods,” he said.
”The impact on the economy is massive and the port has been practically erased,” Nehme told CNBC Arabia in an interview Wednesday, adding it was too soon to fully gauge the scale of the damage on the economy.
“No one can know the numbers right now. One billion [dollars], two billion, three, five, ten – we can’t know. It’s too soon. But it’s very high and more than our capacity,” he added.
He said the government’s priority was to secure people’s basic necessities – mainly food but also supplies to help repair the extensive damage to homes and infrastructure across the city.
Turkey sends rescue and health care teams to Beirut
From CNN’s Gul Tuysuz
Turkey is sending search and rescue teams, health care workers, medical supplies, and other urgent humanitarian aid to help in the aftermath of the blast in Beirut, according to the Turkish foreign ministry.
Turkey is also planning on setting up a field hospital, the ministry said in a written statement.
“We will continue to provide any and all help in solidarity and cooperation with our friendly and brotherly country Lebanon during these times of hardship which we hope they will overcome quickly,” the statement said.
Qatar sends medical supplies to Lebanon for explosion victims
From CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh
Qatar sent a plane filled with medical supplies to Lebanon to help victims of the Beirut explosion, according to a tweet from the Qatari government.
The first plane arrived today, and the government will send three more carrying equipment for hospitals.
“Following directives by HH the Amir and in support of the Lebanese people, #Qatar has sent its first plane with medical supplies to help treat those injured by yesterday’s explosion. This will be followed by 3 more aircraft, carrying equipment for two complete field hospitals,” the government tweet read.
Lebanon’s health sector is suffering from two crises, Covid-19 and explosion aftermath, health minister says
From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq
Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hassan said Tuesday’s explosion that killed at least 100 people and wounded 4,000 added to the country’s health care system crisis as it has been already struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We in the health sector are suffering from a crisis in the face of the coronavirus, to which this human and health catastrophe has now been added,” Hassan said according to Lebanon’s state-run NNA news.
“It requires everyone to engage positively from politicians, political parties, authorities, and from all friendly and brotherly countries because we suffer from a shortage in the number of beds and a lack of equipment to help injured people and those are in critical conditions,” Hassan added.
Here’s what we already know, so far, about the Beirut blast
A deadly explosion shook Beirut yesterday. The Lebanon capital’s 4 million residents woke this morning to the full horror and scale of the damage to their city, lives, and livelihoods.
If you’re just reading it now, here’s what we already know so far about the massive blast:
- What happened: A massive explosion ripped through central Beirut, near the city’s port. It sent up a huge mushroom cloud-shaped shockwave, flipped cars, and damaged distant buildings. It was felt as far as Cyprus, hundreds of miles away, and registered as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake in the Lebanese capital.
- The victims: At least 150 people were killed and 5,000 wounded, state-run media reported, citing the Red Cross. And the death toll could rise today as hundreds of more people have been reported missing.
- The possible source: We’re still not exactly sure what caused the blast, but a warehouse storing thousands of tons of unsecured highly explosive material has emerged as a possible source. Lebanon’s prime minister said an investigation would focus on the warehouse.
- The damage: Beirut’s governor said it caused up to $5 billion in damage, but at this point, the full extent of the damage is yet to be known. Countries around the world have offered condolences and pledged aid for what the Lebanese Red Cross is calling an “unprecedented and very large” disaster.
At least 300,000 people displaced by the explosion, Beirut governor says
From CNN’s Schams Elwazer
At least 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes by Tuesday’s devastating explosion, Beirut’s governor Marwan Abboud said in an interview with Jordan’s state-owned channel Al Mamlaka.
“There are more than 300,000 Lebanese citizens unable to sleep in their own homes,” Abboud said during the telephone interview. “Half of Beirut’s population have homes that are unliveable for the foreseeable future — for the next two weeks.”
Images and videos from the immediate aftermath of the blast show homes destroyed and covered with shattered glass.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Lebanon,” World Health Organization says
From CNN’s Naomi Thomas
Dr. Mike Ryan, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme has said it is assisting with the crisis in Beirut and stands in solidarity with the Lebanese people.
Ryan was speaking during a question and answer session streamed live on WHO social media platforms Wednesday.
“It’s a really very shocking event,” Ryan said.
“Obviously damage assessments need to continue, as you’ve seen many, many hospitals overwhelmed with casualties, and people are still looking for the injured and the dead.”
“It’s a very sad day. We stand in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, and we will do everything in our power, as WHO and the UN system, to support them.
“Our teams are on the ground. Our WHO country team is on the ground. We have logisticians there and others,” he added. “And we’ve already begun dispatching trauma and surgical kits from out regional warehouse in Dubai.”
The UAE Royal Air Wing donated the cost of transporting the kits to Lebanon, Ryan said.
The WHO has also placed emergency medical teams on standby, to be deployed if requested by the Lebanese government.
Lebanese customs head says he sent six memos warning of dangerous substances stored at Beirut’s port
From CNN’s Nada AlTaher
The head of Lebanon’s Customs Authority Badri Daher has said he repeatedly warned the country’s judiciary about dangerous substances stored at Beirut’s port.
Daher said he sent six memos to judiciary officials warning that the substances posed a danger to the public, according to Lebanon’s LBC channel.
“Daher revealed that he asked to re-export these materials, but this matter did not happen,” LBC reported.
LBC did not report the dates on which the memos were sent.
The explosion is thought to have been caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored for six years without safety measures at the port, according to Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
Aoun has promised a transparent investigation into the causes of Tuesday’s explosion and vowed that those responsible will be held accountable and punished, amid mounting public anger over Tuesday’s disaster.
UN Secretary-General offers condolences to families of victims
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has offered his “deepest condolences” to those affected by the explosion in Beirut.
“I wish all injured, including United Nations personnel, a speedy recovery,” he said on Twitter Wednesday.
“The [UN] remains committed to supporting Lebanon at this difficult time.”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi also said the agency stood “in solidarity with people of Beirut and Lebanon in these tragic and testing times,” in a statement released Wednesday.
Where can you donate to help?
In the U.S.
- LA Beirut Sister Cities Relief Fund for AUBMC:
- GoFundMe Campaign
- Support the Lebanese Red Cross:
- GoFundMe Campaign
International
- Lebanese Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.lb
- Amel Association: https://amel.org/
- International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/
country/lebanon - Lebanon Needs You: https://lebanoncrisis.carrd.
co/# - American University of Beirut: https://alumni.aub.edu.lb
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