2700 Metric Tonnes Of Ammonium Nitrate Caused Beirut’s Fatal Explosion
Jannat Un Nisa
The Capital city of Lebanon was rocked by the shock wave on Tuesday
Authorities are saying that a massive amount of Ammonium Nitrate was stored near the port of Beirut, which caused the catastrophic blast.
It was massive, and the wave tore through the capital city of Lebanon. The highly explosive material had been in the warehouse for six years without essential safety measures.
The blast took near to 100 lives and leaving thousands of others injured. The shock wave from the explosion destroyed buildings, houses, and the nearby infrastructure of the capital city. Nearly everything in the vicinity was devastated by the massive explosion. The effects can be seen in a 10KM radius.
Ammonium nitrate has two core utilization; it is typically used as an agriculture fertilizer at large. It is also used in mining explosions as it acts as a source of oxygen to accelerate the burning and combustion. Hence, health officials urged those in the area to “stay indoors and wear masks” due to reports of toxic gases released from the blast.
An initial report from a Lebanese news channel blamed a firecrackers warehouse where the fire was already out of control. However, it remains uncertain as to what caused the blast that wiped off the whole Beirut Port.
Officials from Lebanon’s administration said, “Highly explosive material had been confiscated years earlier and stored in the warehouse.”The question arises, why the explosives of such fatal capabilities were stored near the nightlife district of Beirut, near the city’s port. Items will be asked, but who will be the one held accountable for causing this nightmare in reality.
The most immediate concern is with the casualties and those who are injured severely. People are mourning over the dead loved ones. Others are busy catering to the wounded and helping the ones in dire need of attention in this hard time.
It might be days to know the exact number of casualties as more bodies are being pulled out of the wreckage caused by the wave. Multiple aid providing organizations have set up temporary shelters with food and hygiene kits. The hospitals already struck with the virus have the added burden of thousands severely wounded, in addition to the worse situation is the fact that four hospitals in the nearby vicinity also turned into a wreck in the after-effects of the shock-wave.
International intervention and aid from abroad include field hospitals being sent from Qatar, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan.
The international community and their high profile officials have made statements on the devastating blast and ensured that they’d provide the necessary help out to Beirut. Tuesday’s explosion in the Lebanese capital resulted in an estimated $3-5 billion worth of damage.
Prime Minister of Lebanon has already launched an investigation into the blast and is quite keen to catch the culprits. He said they would face the due punishment for what the effects of this negligence have caused our capital city.
