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In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, a huge explosion took place in the port area on Tuesday night, lifting a huge cloud of smoke into the city sky and causing a wave of pressure to destroy buildings. STR / PAGE IMAGE / AFP
About 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, says Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, according to his representative.
A huge explosion in the port area took place in Beirut on Tuesday night, lifting a huge cloud of smoke into the city sky and causing a wave of pressure to destroy buildings. According to AFP sources, there were two explosions.
The country’s health ministry said at least 73 people were killed and more than 3,700 injured in Beirut, according to AFP news agency, just before the turn of the day.
According to the New York Times, among others, the figures reported by the Department of Health would later have risen to at least 78 deaths and 4,000 injuries.
It is not yet known how serious the injuries are.
A spokesman for the prime minister said at a news conference that Diab had commented on the events in Beirut at a meeting of the Lebanese Security Council. According to the Prime Minister, it is not acceptable for 2 750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate to have been in storage for six years without taking into account the necessary safeguards.
Prime Minister Diab said in a televised speech late Tuesday that those responsible for the blast will be held accountable.
“Those responsible for this disaster will be punished,” Diab said, according to AFP.
In his speech, Diab also called for international assistance to Lebanon, which is suffering from the worst economic crisis in decades. According to AFP, Beirut has been declared a disaster area by the Lebanese Defense Council.
Ammonium nitrate is not a flammable substance, but can explode under certain conditions
According to Tukes, ammonium nitrate is not a combustible substance, but it accelerates the combustion of other substances. Pure ammonium nitrate can also explode under certain conditions. The possibility of an explosion can be increased by strong heating, for example in a fire.
Beirut is reported to have toxic gases in the air after the explosion, news channel CNN reports, citing a warning from the U.S. embassy in Beirut. The embassy urges those in the area to stay indoors and wear face masks whenever possible.
Tuesday’s explosions are also said to have been so intense that they sparked earthquake waves. According to CNN, the news channel collects data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The waves corresponded to an earthquake of magnitude 3.3.
However, the above magnitude cannot be directly compared to an earthquake of equal magnitude. According to Don Blake, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, in a terrestrial explosion like Beirut, most of the energy goes into the air and buildings, not the ground.
If the explosion had taken place below the surface of the earth, it would have been even higher in intensity, the news channel says.
UN peacekeepers were injured in a ship in port
UN peacekeepers have been injured in the accident, says the UN peacekeeping operation Unifil. Some of them are seriously injured.
Unifil does not tell us the exact number of injuries. Unifil’s ship was moored in the harbor when the explosion occurred in the early evening. The ship was damaged in the explosion.
Employees of the German embassy were also injured in the accident, says the German Foreign Ministry. The embassy near the port was damaged in the explosion.
The ministry adds that German citizens cannot yet be excluded from deaths and injuries.
Tiina Tähtinen from the Foreign Ministry’s communications told STT late Tuesday that the office space of the Finnish mission was completely damaged by the explosion. There was no one inside the mission at the time of the accident.
According to the star, 12 travel reports have been made to Beirut and 40 to Lebanon. Finns who have made a travel declaration are still being sought.