A devastating explosion rocked Lebanon’s capital of Beirut on Tuesday, causing the death of at least 100 people and widespread damage across the city. Video shared on social media captured both the huge flare-up and the blast wave rippling through the port area of Beirut and neighbouring areas. Footage shared by BBC staff showed one of their reporters conducting a virtual interview when the explosion happened and the blast wave violently knocked her off her feet.
The woman can be seen suddenly standing up after a bang is heard in the background before a shower of glass hits her as the windows explode because of the shock wave.
Her screen is seen going dark because of what appear to be debris, with the interviewee turning his screen to show a nearby colleague the aftermath of the blast.
An alarm can be heard going off on the side of the BBC reporter and she can then be seen crawling underneath a desk as she recovers her laptop.
The BBC reporter then shakily stands up to ask colleagues if they are ok as the interviewee and his colleague watch on concernd.
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Lebanese officials have blamed the explosion on the ignition of over 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical, stored in the port area.
The explosion epicentre was completely levelled and houses in the surrounding neighbours suffered severe damage, with many windows breaking down because of the shockwave the blast produced.
The death toll stood at 100 as of Wednesday morning as more than 4,000 were treated for injuries in the capital’s hospitals despite staff being already overwhelmed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Emergency respondents remained involved in looking for casualties trapped in buildings.
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In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, Lebanon is also facing economic difficulties as Save the Children last week reported over one million people across the country lack the money to buy essentials.
Labanon relies heavily on imports, with an estimated 80 percent of its food coming in from abroad.
The port of Beirut was a main point of entry for food supplies and some analysts have questioned the ability of the country to re-establish the necessary trading links following the explosion.
Jad Sakr, the current acting leader of Save the Children in Lebanon, said in a statement: “The incident could not have occurred at a worse time and has hit communities who were already suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.”
“Beirut’s main port, now completely damaged, is vital for much of the food, grains, and fuel that Lebanon imports, and families will immediately feel the shortage in basic needs as a result of this tragedy.”