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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. LEAF PICTURE / AFP / STR
One Finn reached by the Foreign Ministry from Lebanon has been slightly injured. According to the Foreign Ministry’s communications, BTI is told that the injury is related to yesterday’s events in Beirut, but this is not explained in detail in the case.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been targeting Finns who made travel declarations from Lebanon after the explosions in Beirut on Tuesday. The ministry has reached a total of 18 Finns. None of those reached said they needed help. Eight of those reached are in the country and ten are not.
A total of 40 have made travel declarations to Lebanon, 12 of whom have specified that they are in Beirut.
Approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in the port
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, but only one major explosion has also been reported in many media outlets.
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.
“It was like an atomic bomb”
The port, swallowed by the flames of Beirut, is reminiscent of the post-nuclear disaster landscape, according to AFP. There are collapsed buildings everywhere and there are flaming ships at sea.
The area has been isolated by soldiers. Ambulance sirens scream around the area and fire trucks throw around.
Inside the harbor, the hangars looked like charred cans, everything had been destroyed beyond recognition. Extinguishing helicopters flew over the area, dropping water here and there.
The force of the explosion was so enormous that its sound was heard all over the country. The explosion was also felt in Cyprus, which is 240 kilometers away.
“It was like an atomic bomb,” said Makrouhie Yerganian, a retired teacher who has lived near the port for decades, according to AFP.
– I’ve been through everything, but nothing like this ever before, he said and clarified that he experienced similar even in the years 1975-1990 during the proceedings before the Civil War.
AFP’s video shows areas where cars have turned to their roofs like children’s toys, warehouse buildings collapsed and the explosion has survived from above with stains of their own blood.
– We heard the explosion, then we saw a cloud of mushrooms, said a person living in Beirut, who, according to AFP, witnessed another hearing explosion from his balcony.
– The force of the explosion threw us inside the apartment.
“Those responsible for the disaster will be punished”
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.
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.
Poverty and unemployment on the rise in Lebanon
Lebanon’s economy has collapsed in recent months. The local currency is diving, numerous companies are closing their doors and poverty is on the rise, as is unemployment.
According to Save the Children, the case could not have happened at a worse time.
Lebanon’s ties have also tightened with neighboring Israel recently. Just over a week ago, Israel said it had blocked an attempt by five members of Hezbollah to invade the country. Hezbollah has denied the allegations.
In addition, a ruling by a UN tribunal in Lebanon is expected in Lebanon over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. The verdict is due on Friday.
Al-Hariri died in a bomb attack accused of absenteeing four people suspected of being members of the Lebanese Hezbollah. In addition to the former prime minister, 21 other people were killed in the attack.