(Newswire.net— August 5, 2020) — LEBANON, Beirut – 2,750 tons of stored ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of Beirut, causing unprecedented death and destruction in the capital of Lebanon, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced.
“We will not stop until we find the person responsible for what happened,” the prime minister promised.
The blast killed at least 78 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the BBC.
“It is unacceptable that the cargo of ammonium nitrate, estimated at 2,750 tons, has been in storage for six years, without any supervision,” he said at an emergency meeting of the Supreme Defense Council.
President of Lebanon Michel Aoun tweeted “That is unacceptable and we cannot remain silent on that issue,” referring that the highly explosive material was stored without proper security just outside the city center.
Ammonium nitrate is an artificial fertilizer and also a component of explosives.
The Supreme Defense Council “recommended” the government should declare a two-week “state of emergency” in Beirut. During that period, “the supreme military authority will have all the powers in matters of security,” it is stated in the announcement from the session of the Supreme Defense Council.
The government should hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday when a day of mourning has been announced in Lebanon due to the death of more than 78 and the injury of more than 4,000 people.
The blast was heard 150 miles away on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean.
The explosion comes at a sensitive time for Lebanon, with an economic crisis reigniting old divisions. Tensions are also high ahead of Friday’s verdict in a trial over the killing of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, the BBC reports.
Also, the tensions with neighboring Israel, which said last week that it had thwarted an attempt by Hezbollah to infiltrate Israeli territory. A senior Israeli official, however, has told the BBC that Israel has no connection with the Beirut blast.