Beruit port explosion 2020.08.04
Beruit port explosion 2020.08.04:
On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon
exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, as well as leaving
an estimated 300,000 people homeless. A cargo of 2,750 tonnes of the substance (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons
of TNT) had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years after having
been confiscated by Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus. The explosion was preceded by a fire
in the same warehouse.
The blast was so powerful that it physically shook the whole country of Lebanon. It was felt in Turkey, Syria,
Palestine, Jordan, and Israel, as well as parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 240 km (150 mi)
away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered
one of the most powerful artificial non-nuclear explosions in history. It was powerful enough to affect Earth's
atmosphere.
The Lebanese government declared a two-week state of emergency in response to the disaster. In its aftermath,
protests erupted across Lebanon against the government for their failure to prevent the disaster, joining a
larger series of protests which had been taking place across the country since 2019. On 10 August 2020, Prime
Minister Hassan Diab and the Lebanese cabinet resigned.
