By Risha Chaurasia
The 4th of August, just another day in the lives of the residents of Beirut. Everyone went about with their regular lives, completely unaware and oblivious to the disaster about to happen. This normal day morphed into a historic event when two massive blasts took place at around 6 pm local time. The explosion took place near the Beirut port where a massive fire broke out.
According to residents, smoke could be seen emerging from one of the warehouses, situated close to the grain silos. What was initially perceived as a fire turned into a series of deadlu explosions.
The roof of the warehouse caught fire and a large explosion took place, but the story doesn’t end here. This blast was followed by a series of small blasts, which the residents claim to be sounding like fireworks. After about 30 seconds of the blast, a tremendous explosion took place, sending supersonic blastwaves radiating throughout the city. A massive mushroom cloud formed above the site similar to that of the bombings of Hiroshima, though this was a comparatively small explosion.
The explosion was equivalent to 1,000 to 1,500 tonnes of TNT - about a 10th of the intensity of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.It is one of the most devastating and largest non-nuclear explosions in the history of the world.
The shockwaves blew out windows, and the windows of Beirut International Airport's passenger terminal, about 9km (5 miles) away from the port were completely shattered and obliterated. The blast happened with an ear-splitting impact and was heard from Cyprus, which is almost 200km across the Mediterranean Sea. The impact was equivalent to a 3.3 magnitude earthquake.
The cause of the explosion is believed to be the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that he said had been stored unsafely at a warehouse in the port.
Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid commonly used as a source of nitrogen for agricultural fertilizer. It can be combined with fuel oils to create explosives, militants often use ammonium nitrate to make bombs. Experts say that ammonium nitrate is safe if stored properly. However, if you have a large amount of material lying around for a long time it begins to decay. It absorbs moisture and eventually turns into an enormous rock, which is far more deadly because if the fire reaches it the explosion can be far more intense. The fire in the warehouse triggered the explosion.
The blast has caused extensive damage throughout the city and thousands of buildings have been extirpated. The blast demolished the immediate dockside area, creating a crater approximately 140m (460ft) wide, which flooded with seawater. Life and property have faced immense loss with casualties everywhere. About 200 people died immediately fro impact and over 5,000 wounded. 300,000 people have been rendered homeless and the collective losses are estimated to reach $10-15bn.
This explosion was followed by public massive protests and people took to the streets. The government was heavily criticized and accused of culpability through their alleged negligence and corruption. Many called out for the resignation of the Prime minister.
Little did they know, their demands would be heard and implemented. On 10th August, the entire Lebanese cabinet resigned including Prime Minister Hassan Diab. In the middle of this huge crisis the country is rendered government less and without any stark leadership.
The global media and governments were shaken by the news and several NGOs and humanitarian groups are helping distribute aid. My prayers and wishes are with the people of Beirut and I hope the situation is normalized without any large casualties.
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