Huge Ammonium Nitrate Explosion in Beirut's Port Leaves 43-Meter Crater Deep

Published August 9th, 2020 - 09:23 GMT
A picture taken from the coastal road on the northern outskirts of Beirut shows smoke billowing following an explosion in the heart Lebanese capital on August 4, 2020. Two huge explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut, wounding dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Lebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, some bloodied, after the massive explosions, the cause of which was not immediately known.  JOSEPH EID / AFP
A picture taken from the coastal road on the northern outskirts of Beirut shows smoke billowing following an explosion in the heart Lebanese capital on August 4, 2020. Two huge explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut, wounding dozens of people, shaking buildings and sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Lebanese media carried images of people trapped under rubble, some bloodied, after the massive explosions, the cause of which was not immediately known. JOSEPH EID / AFP
Highlights
Tuesday’s blast at the port devastated much of the city and killed nearly 160 people. Dozens were still missing and nearly 6,000 people injured.

The huge ammonium nitrate explosion in Beirut's port that devastated much of the city left a crater 43 meters deep, a security official said Sunday.

"The explosion in the port left a crater 43 meters deep" Tuesday, the official told AFP, citing reports by French experts conducting an assessment of the disaster area.

Tuesday’s blast at the port devastated much of the city and killed nearly 160 people. Dozens were still missing and nearly 6,000 people injured.

Documents that surfaced after the blast showed that officials had been repeatedly warned for years that the presence of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port posed a grave danger, but no one acted to remove it. Officials have been blaming one another, and 19 people have been detained, including the port’s chief, the head of Lebanon’s customs department and his predecessor.

This article has been adapted from its original source.

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content