A day after massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab, has called the explosions as a ‘real catastrophe’. In his televised speech, he appealed to all countries and friends of Lebanon to extend help to the small nation, saying: “We are witnessing a real catastrophe.” He reiterated his pledge that those responsible for the massive explosion at Beirut’s port will pay the price. The blast killed at least 100 people and wounded thousands.
The massive explosion resulted in a giant mushroom cloud above the capital. Major streets in the city were littered with damaged vehicles and debris. Even several miles away from the scene of the blast, balconies were knocked down, ceiling collapsed and windows were shattered. The blast came at a time when Lebanon is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades.
The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. Later, President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse. However, it was not clear how the blast happened or what caused the explosion. It becomes all the more important to know the real cause of the blast , as it happened amid rising tensions between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group along Lebanon’s southern border.
President Donald Trump has also said that US military generals have told him that they seem to feel the massive explosion that rocked Beirut was a ‘terrible attack likely caused by a bomb’.