More than 100 people have died and 4,000 have been injured following an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, believed to have been caused by a fire at a warehouse near the port.
A video obtained by Port Technology International, taken by a citizen of Beirut, shows the mushroom cloud from the explosion and the force ripping its way through the city.
The explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, according to Lebanon’s president Michael Aoun.
Aoun is reported as saying that the ammonium nitrate, which is often used as a agricultural fertiliser, was stored unsafely, and that those responsible will be punished.
The BBC has reported that the ammonium nitrate had been in the warehouse since 2013 after arriving by ship via the Port.
There are reports that the force was felt as far away as Cyprus and many buildings, including houses and Aoun’s office, have been badly damaged.
Port Technology International will be following this story as it develops.
