Chemical blast leaves Beirut in ruins - 12th August 2020

A colossal explosion has devastated the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The blast, caused by a fire at the port, left the city shattered on Tuesday, 5th August.

Flames ignited 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse. This extremely volatile compound exploding in such a huge quantity could be felt as far away as Cyprus, over 240 kilometres from Beirut.

Ripping through the city with the force of an earthquake, the explosion has made 300,000 locals homeless, among them 100,000 children. There are at least 220 dead and some 6,000 injured.

International aid has been streaming into the country since the disaster. However, the Lebanese government has come under great criticism for its handling of the crisis and on Monday 10th August the entire government resigned.