The night that shattered the city of Beirut

▶ An explosion unlike any before it, has brought more misery to Lebanon’s people

Videos of the blast that shook Beirut are painful to watch. They show a fire that began at the city’s port, followed by an explosion and a massive mushroom cloud that seems to envelop the entire city. The cloud clears in seconds, as a plume of pink-orange smoke rises in its place. Shockwaves could be felt as far as Cyprus, more than 230 kilometres from Lebanese shores.

Glass windows throughout the city are shattered, and buildings destroyed. According to the latest figures, about 135 lives have been lost. Thousands of people have been injured, while scores of others are missing. Many are believed to be trapped under rubble.

Many of those who have lost their homes, expected to be close to 300,000 of the city’s residents, do not know where to turn, as their friends and neighbours across the city have been affected too.

As for the cause, the limited information available points to negligence, at the very least. Prime Minister Hassan Diab has said that the warehouse where the explosion occurred housed a stockpile of more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The chemical is used as a fertiliser, though its highly explosive nature has also been exploited for terrorist attacks. Two tonnes of ammonium nitrate were used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings, which killed 168 people and traumatised an entire nation. In Beirut, it was stored for six years near a densely populated area and next to the wheat silos that feed the entire city.

Since the explosion, Lebanese officials have already taken to blaming one another. Interior Minister Mohamed Fehmi has directed citizens looking for answers to the customs department, while Badri Daher, the head of customs, has said the judiciary is to blame. An investigation into the explosion has been launched, with results due in five days. The blast and its aftermath will compound Lebanon’s problems. Since last year, the country has been hit by an economic crisis of unprecedented proportions, pushing almost half of all Lebanese below the poverty line.

The explosion has destroyed much of the port, through which Lebanon imports most of its essential goods. Although Lebanese hospitals are among the best in the region, a shortage of foreign currency has prevented them from buying essential supplies. Medical facilities were already near capacity before the blast, after a peak in Covid-19 cases.

Those found responsible for this tragedy must be held to account, no matter how high-ranking and well-connected they may be. As the Lebanese mourn the deaths of their loved ones, and try to make sense of the disaster that has befallen their capital, the focus must be on provided people with much-needed help.

An aircraft loaded with 40 tonnes of humanitarian supplies took off from Dubai’s International Humanitarian City hours after the blast, but that must only be the start. Support for charities, NGOs and other civil society institutions is crucial at this moment.

Beirut has been dealt a shocking blow. But if the Lebanese capital is capable of one thing, it is rising again.