>>Beirut has become a ghost city, it needs a miracle
beirut — Beirut looks like a scene from the apocalypse, the end of the world. The Lebanese capital is reeling from the shock of the massive explosion and looks like a ghost city, its people lost, sullen and forsaken. They have had enough and are throwing in the towel at life itself.
Many are numbed by the tragedy as they continue to be in denial of what happened, but in vain. The destruction is immense and picking up the pieces will be a gargantuan task even for the resilient Lebanese who have seen waves of conflict and civil strife over four decades. Indeed, the Lebanese are a resilient people, but this explosion is like the end of time.
Those wandering the streets in Gemayze and Karantina looked all at sea on Wednesday. This is no longer the city they love, only ghosts of what were once people wander about its grim streets.
A pile of destruction — skeletons of cars, mangled metal, debris, dust and ruin is everywhere, as far as the eye can see.
The main port, the scene of the main blast was out of bounds for journalists, so I wandered the streets looking for signs of withered life amid the shattered glass.
It was already rough for people who slept on the streets; it’s now rougher. One of them, an elderly lady, said she slept on the streets to protect her shop. The blast left her with nothing, and she is still out on the streets picking up the fragments.
People are frantically searching for their missing loved ones in hospitals. Some are expecting the worst, and I try hard not to weep as I wander aimlessly.
Reports said 100 people have died and 4,000 injured. Some 20,000 have also been left homeless by the explosion.
Emergency rooms are filled with people waiting for news of their loved ones. Those with minor injuries are being treated by doctors and paramedics already stretched by the pandemic.
The pandemic makes recovery and relief complicated. Families are at loss for words. “This explosion has ruined everything; it is an apocalyse, a real catastrophe, worse than what is shown in Hollywood films.”
Many people are angry and asking why a large stockpile of 2,750 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stocked for six years in a warehouse at the port near thousands of homes where citizens live.
Some people claimed they saw an orange cloud that seemed like toxic nitrogen dioxide.
As a cancer survivor, I have been advised by my doctor to leave for the hills to escape the toxic fumes hanging in the air.
I feel death stalking me. The impending stench of death could be close behind as I walk back to my taxi. I overhear a man saying he will do everything he can to leave the country for good once his wife gets out of hospital.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross has said that the death toll could rise as many people are still buried under the rubble.
I think to myself that Lebanon needs all the help it can get, but most importantly, it needs a miracle, and prayers from the world community.
2,750 TONNES Of Ammonium nitrate exploded in the port
$66 MILLION Funds announced by Lebanese President
3.3 Magnitude quake caused by blast
300,000 Number of people left homeless
85% Of country’s grains stored at the now-destroyed silos
$3 BILLION Estimated cost of the damage