![]() ![]() Hitting with the force of an earthquake, it was the most powerful explosion ever seen in the city, which was split in half by the 1975-1990 civil war and has endured conflicts with neighboring Israel and periodic bombings and terror attacks. The blast appeared to have been triggered by a fire that touched off a cargo of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years, though it was unclear what sparked the fire. George Kettaneh said the toll could rise further. ![]() Much of downtown was littered with damaged vehicles and debris that had rained down from the shattered facades of buildings.Īn official with the Lebanese Red Cross said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded. The blast knocked out a crater some 200 meters (yards) across that filled with seawater - it was as if the sea had taken a bite out of the port, swallowing buildings with it. Hangars around it were completely toppled. Smoke still rose from the port, where a towering building of silos was half destroyed, spilling out grain. BEIRUT | Residents of Beirut confronted a scene of utter devastation Wednesday, a day after a massive explosion at the port rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 100 people, wounding thousands and leaving entire city blocks blanketed with glass and rubble.
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