BLASTS ROCK BEIRUT
▶ Day of national mourning after explosions kill more than 50 and injure thousands ▶ Blasts shatter windows and cause buildings in nearby port area to collapse
More than 50 people were killed and thousands injured in enormous explosions in the port area of Lebanon’s capital Beirut yesterday.
The second blast, felt as far away as the island of Cyprus, shattered windows and caused buildings to collapse in the area near the port as a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Hamad Hasan, Lebanon’s Minister of Health, announcing the death toll, said more than 3,000 were hurt.
The head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, however, told Reuters that more than 2,200 were injured but that the number was likely to rise.
“It was a big explosion and then my ceiling came down and all the windows were wrecked,” a resident of the Gemmayze area told The National. “I fell on the floor and had to dig myself out of the apartment.”
Supermarket manager Bahij was driving in the Karantina area of the city, close to the blast site, when suddenly he was blown from the car, injuring his head and hands.
“This is insane. It is the first time I have experienced such a massive explosion,” he told The
National. Bahij was treated at the scene by paramedics of the Lebanese Red Cross.
Hundreds of people wandered the streets after the blast, many clutching elderly relatives and children injured by flying glass and debris. Hospitals were overwhelmed as doctors treated the injured.
UAE leaders were quick to respond. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said on Twitter: “Our condolences to our beloved people in Lebanon ... Oh God, have mercy on those who moved to you ... Oh God, give the people of Lebanon patience and solace.”
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, tweeted: “Our thoughts and prayers are with our Lebanese brothers and sisters during these trying times. God bless Lebanon and the Lebanese people.”
Lebanon declared today a national day of mourning.
Internal security chief Abbas Ibrahim said the blast occurred in an area housing highly explosive materials, but declined to speculate about cause.
Even for a city as used to war as Beirut, the devastation wrought yesterday afternoon was staggering.
In a moment, the blast ripped through the city, killing dozens, wounding thousands and seemingly smashing every pane of glass.
It was hard to walk through the streets – everywhere was covered with shards of glass, and there were wrecked cars, toppled trees, rubble, and even a collapsed house to contend with.
Nothing about the blast at Beirut port is clear, except for the scale of the devastation.
For kilometres around the seafront, homes were damaged or destroyed.
The wounded, covered with blood, walked the streets, unsure of what to do or where to go.
The wail of ambulance sirens echoed through the choked roads.
Michael Aoun, a 24-year-old doctor, was at home when the blast ripped through.
He grabbed his medical box and ran out the door, he said, as he knelt down to tend to the dozens of cuts suffered by Marie, 86.
No one seemed to be able to quite believe the scale of the explosion that, in a matter of minutes, upended the city.
But despite the destruction, Beirutis came out to help one another through yet another national crisis.
At any time, a disaster of this scale would be crushing, but Lebanon is already grappling with the worst economic crisis in its history, a growing rubbish problem, rising unemployment and poverty and – on top of everything else – a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Beirut Governor Marwan
Abboud broke down in tears at the scene of the explosion, as he said at least 10 firefighters sent to tackle the first blaze had simply disappeared without a trace.
“I have not witnessed so much destruction in my life,” he said.
“It’s similar to what happened in Japan, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“This is a national catastrophe.”
As the sky darkened to night, the black smoke rose from Beirut port.
Helicopters dropped water from above and firemen on the ground sprayed the site of the blast with hoses.
Shopkeepers sat on the kerbside opposite, looking at their shattered businesses, combing through the rubble of their livelihoods.
Faris, in his 60s, started to clean up his shattered shop.
Despite the destruction around him, he kept the calm resolve for which the Lebanese have become famous in times of crisis.
“We’re used to this,” he said. “It’s the tenth time that we’ve been bombed.”
I have not witnessed so much destruction in my life ... This is a national catastrophe MARWAN ABBOUD Beirut governor