Explosion in Port Beiruta

A powerful explosion occurred on August 4, 2020 in the seaport area of the Lebanese capital Beirut, near the Lebanese Navy base. First there was a small bang, a few minutes later black and white smoke appeared, and then there was a powerful explosion, a column of red smoke rising into the sky. After this, a strong fire in the port continued for several hours. Army helicopters took part in the firefighting effort.
The roar from the explosion shook the entire city, it was heard even in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, located about 250 kilometers from Beirut. After the explosion, a crater 43 meters deep was formed. British experts, having analyzed video recordings of the incident in Beirut, determined that the power of the explosion corresponded to approximately 1.5 thousand tons of TNT.

The explosion destroyed the port, which is the main one in Lebanon – 70% of all imported products passed through it, the surrounding neighborhoods and the main granary located in the port. The explosion affected the entire central part of Beirut, as the port is located near the city center. The building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, four capital hospitals were completely destroyed, which is why the patients in them had to be placed in other hospitals, hundreds of houses and cars were destroyed or damaged, and glass was broken in many neighborhoods. the city, as well as the capital’s electricity and water supply systems, were seriously damaged. 300 thousand people were left homeless.

The economic damage to the city as a result of the explosion, according to preliminary estimates, amounted to at least $15 billion.

190 people died (according to other sources, 211), more than six thousand were injured. The vast majority of those killed were Lebanese and Syrians.