An explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday (4th) killed at least 135 people and injured more than 5,000. The Chief of Beirut estimated that 250,000 to 300,000 people were left homeless, and losses amounted to US$3 billion to US$5 billion. The explosion is believed to be related to the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate placed in the port warehouse for six years. Although there was an early warning, the government has ignored it for six years. The government has vowed to hold accountable and authorize the military to put all officials responsible for the storage under house arrest. Beirut declared a two-week state of emergency, and the army was responsible for security.

The explosion occurred in the Beirut port area. According to estimates by the German Geosciences Research Center (GFZ), the magnitude of the explosion was approximately equivalent to a 3.5-magnitude earthquake, and it could be felt even in Cyprus nearly 200 kilometers away. Health Minister Hamad Hassan said on Wednesday that four hospitals were damaged and unable to operate, and the death toll is expected to continue to rise. He also said on Tuesday that the power outage had increased the difficulty of search and rescue at night. Beirut Chief Marwan Abboud said that at least 10 firefighters were missing and the scene reminded him of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

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President Michel Aoun said that the explosion may be related to the explosive material Ammonium Nitrate in the port area warehouse. As many as 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were confiscated 6 years ago and no safety measures have been taken to store it in the port area warehouse. . He severely criticized the incident as “unacceptable” and has set up a committee to investigate, and the results of the investigation will be forwarded to the judiciary within 5 days. He set Wednesday as a national day of mourning and will allocate 100 billion Lebanese pounds (about 510 million Hong Kong dollars) from the 2020 budget for emergency funding. Prime Minister Hassan Diab also stated that he would be held accountable for the “dangerous warehouses” and urgently appealed to countries to provide assistance. It is currently unknown what caused the explosion. Reuters quoted security sources and local media as saying that the explosion was caused by welding work in the warehouse.

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Al Jazeera analyzed public records and online documents, saying that Lebanese officials had long been aware of the existence and danger of this batch of ammonium nitrate. It is reported that in September 2013, the cargo ship carrying this batch of ammonium nitrate originally went to Mozambique, but was forced to call Beirut due to technical problems. The batch of ammonium nitrate was later unloaded and stored in a warehouse in the port area. In June 2014, the then customs chief wrote a letter to a “judge handling emergency affairs” requesting that the shipment be handled, but no response was received. The customs officials wrote five more letters between 2014 and 2017, and proposed three solutions, including exporting ammonium nitrate, transferring it to the army or selling it to the Lebanese explosives company. The letter stated that storing these goods in warehouses constitutes a serious danger, but There is still no arrangement.

According to reports, the management of the port involved has always been chaotic. The general manager of the port told the Lebanese media yesterday that the batch of ammonium nitrate was stored in accordance with a court order six years ago, saying that the customs and the Ministry of National Security had repeatedly requested the disposal of the batch of materials but had not received a response. Reuters quoted news yesterday that the cabinet has decided to put all port officials responsible for storage and security under house arrest after 2014.

4 The suspension of food supply in hospitals causes worries
The local medical system was already under the pressure of the epidemic, and it was even more overwhelmed after the explosion. St. George’s Hospital, less than 2 kilometers away from the blast site, was damaged by the blast and could not receive the injured. Some doctors said that they could only rescue the injured on the street. The injured have been taken to hospitals outside Beirut for treatment. The Lebanese Red Cross has established temporary shelters that can provide food and hygiene products to 1,000 families within 72 hours.

The explosion also caused food concerns. Lebanon imported 90% of its wheat, most of which came from the port where the incident occurred. Economy Minister Raoul Nehme told Reuters that the current stock of wheat is less than one month left. The country needs at least three months of reserves to ensure food security. It is now looking for other areas to store grain, but emphasized that there is no “bread or “Flour crisis”,Said that there are sufficient reserves and cargo ships to Lebanon to meet long-term demand.

Many countries have already provided support, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the United States and Canada. Even Israel, which views Lebanon as a hostile country, has said it will provide medical assistance. Qatar began shipping field hospitals and medical supplies to Beirut yesterday. French President Macron will be in Beirut today.