Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale speaks to the media after visiting the site of a massive explosion at Beirut's port, Lebanon, August 15, 2020.

A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city's port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. I haven't seen anything like that since the days of the (civil) war," said Marwan Ramadan, who was about 500 yards from the port and was knocked off his feet by the force of the explosion.Emergency teams streamed in from across Lebanon to help, and the injured had to be taken to hospitals outside the capital. Anti-government protesters take part in … You must purchase a Summer Blast event pass. Many have lost jobs, while the worth of their savings has evaporated as the currency has plunged in value against the dollar. Israeli officials usually do not comment on "foreign reports. "It was not clear what caused the blast, which struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany's geosciences center GFZ, and was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 180 miles across the Mediterranean. "The U.S. State Department released a statement saying it was "closely following" the situation. Wounded people walk near the site of an explosion at the port in the Lebanese capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Orange clouds of toxic nitrogen dioxide gas often accompany an explosion involving nitrates.An Israeli government official said Israel "had nothing to do" with the blast. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. Aug 24, 2020 | Oil & Gas | Recent. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani There are corpses on the ground. Dozens of injured were being treated on the spot on the street outside, on stretchers and wheelchairs.

Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images "Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families. Issam Abdallah / Reuters That explosion, with a ton of explosives, was felt miles away, just like Tuesday's explosion.Several of Beirut's hospitals were damaged in the blast. "This is a catastrophe we have on our hands," said one doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make press statements.Be in the know. Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad said she was resigning on Sunday, citing the explosion and the failure of the government to carry out reforms. "We are working closely with local authorities to determine if any U.S. citizens were affected. Local TV stations reported that a fireworks warehouse was involved.The fire then appeared to catch at a nearby building, triggering a more massive explosion, sending up a mushroom cloud and a shock wave.Charbel Haj, who works at the port, said it started as small explosions like firecrackers. Ambulances are still lifting the dead. Lebanon's interior minister said it appeared that a large cache of ammonium nitrate in the port had detonated.The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi told a local TV station that it appeared the blast was caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse at the dock ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014.

Streets were covered with glass and bricks and lined with wrecked cars. The result has thrown many into poverty.It also occurred amid rising tensions between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group along Lebanon's southern border.The explosion was reminiscent of massive blasts during Lebanon's civil war and took place only three days before a U.N.-backed tribunal was set to give its verdict in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a truck bombing more than 15 years ago. On another street, a woman with a bloodied face looked distraught, staggering through traffic with two friends at her side. Motorcyclists picked their way through traffic, carrying the injured.One woman covered in blood from the waist up walked down a trashed street while talking furiously on her phone. Undersecretary of State David Hale made the comments a week after visiting Lebanon following the blast that killed more than 172 people, injured 6,000, left 300,000 homeless and destroyed swathes of Beirut “They (the Lebanese people) see rulers who use the system in order to enrich themselves and to ignore popular demands,” Hale said.


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