25 posts
1 hour ago
Death toll from explosion in Beirut rises to 80
By Charbel Mallo
At least 80 people died and more than 4,000 were injured on Tuesday after a huge explosion in central Beirut, Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan said on Wednesday.
Hassan said four hospitals are out of service due to damage caused by the explosion.
The minister indicated that the death toll is likely to increase.
1 hour ago
Latin American countries react to the Beirut explosion
By Radina Gigova
(Photo by Bilal Jawich / Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua / via Getty Images)
More countries in Latin America are sending their condolences to the victims of the Beirut explosion and their families.
The region is home to a large diaspora of Lebanese expats and people of Lebanese descent.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday night on his official Twitter account
that he is "deeply saddened by the scenes of the explosion in Beirut. Brazil is home to the largest Lebanese community in the world and, therefore, we feel this tragedy as if it were in our territory. I express my solidarity with the families of the fatalities and the injured.
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, wrote on his official Twitter account on Tuesday night: “The situation in Beirut, Lebanon is regrettable and sad. Our condolences to the families of the victims and to all that sister nation.
Regrettable and sad the situation in Beirut, Lebanon. Our condolences to the families of the victims and to all that sister nation.
- Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) August 5, 2020
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama tweeted: "The National Government expresses its deep dismay at the terrible explosion that occurred in Beirut, while expressing its solidarity with the Republic and the People of Lebanon and expressing its condolences to the families of the deceased and wounded ».
And the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador said: «Ecuador shows solidarity with the Republic of Lebanon in light of the explosions registered in its capital, Beirut. @CancilleriaEc expresses its condolences to the families of the deceased ». The ministry said 150 Ecuadorians reside in Lebanon and "so far there are no victims."
5 hours ago
Lebanese officials raise concerns with the United States after Trump called the Beirut blast an "attack"
By Kylie Atwood
(Credit: STR / AFP via Getty Images)
Lebanese officials expressed concern to US diplomats about the use of the word "attack" to describe the explosion in Beirut on Tuesday after President Donald Trump did so at a press conference, two officials from the State Department of States said. United.
Trump offered sympathy and assistance to the people of Lebanon on Tuesday after the explosions, which left dozens dead and thousands wounded, referring to the incident as a "terrible attack".
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the Lebanese government is investigating the cause of the explosion and that the United States is looking forward to that outcome.
What we know so far: Initial reports attributed the blast to a large fire in a firecracker warehouse near the port, according to the Lebanese state news agency NNA.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab later said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers and pumps, had been stored for six years in a port warehouse without security measures, "endangering the safety of citizens, ”according to a statement.
The prime minister called the storage of the material "unacceptable" and called for an investigation into the cause of the explosion, with the results published within five days, according to the statement.
Lebanese authorities have not called the explosion an attack.
6 hours ago
It is already dawn in Beirut. This is what we know so far about the explosion that shook the city
(Credit: / AFP via Getty Images)
A large explosion shook the capital Beirut on Tuesday at 6:07 pm after a large fire broke out near the city's port, killing at least 78 people and injuring 4,000.
What caused the explosion? Initially, there were conflicting reports about the cause of the explosion. It was previously attributed to a large fire in a firecracker warehouse near the port.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab later said in a statement that an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, an explosive, had been stored in a warehouse over the past six years. Lebanon's chief of general security said the substance had been confiscated years ago.
How is the situation: in a word, apocalyptic. The blast swept through the city and wreaked havoc on almost every neighborhood in Beirut. The blast wave from the explosion was visible in the images of the incident.
Buildings up to 10 km away from the blast site were damaged. The streets were full of broken glass.
A witness told CNN that the port was "totally destroyed."
Emergency rooms were flooded with the wounded, while the Lebanese Red Cross pleaded with the public on Twitter for blood donations to help the wounded. One of Beirut's main hospitals, the Hotel Dieu, received about 400 injured patients, an employee told CNN.
What the government is doing: President Michel Aoun ordered military patrols in the city and promised to investigate. Prime Minister Diab said storage of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse was "unacceptable" and would be investigated.
"I will not rest until I find those responsible for what happened, hold them accountable and impose the maximum punishment," he said.
7 hours ago
Thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate were stored in a Beirut warehouse for 6 years, says the prime minister
By Raja Razek, Samantha Beech
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored in a warehouse in Beirut for six years, according to a statement posted on the website of the Presidency of the Republic of Lebanon.
Ammonium nitrate is a key ingredient in both fertilizers and certain types of explosives. The substance has been used in terrorist attacks, including the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
It is still unclear what exactly caused the explosion in Beirut Tuesday that killed nearly 80 people. The explosion was previously attributed to a fire that broke out.
Lebanon's chief of general security, Abbas Ibrahim, said that previously "highly explosive material" that had been confiscated years ago was stored in the warehouse, which is just a few minutes' walk from the popular shopping and nightlife districts.
Prime Minister Diab said in the statement that it was "unacceptable" that so much explosive material be stored in a warehouse "without taking preventive measures and jeopardizing the safety of citizens."
"I will not rest until I find those responsible for what happened, hold them accountable and impose the maximum punishment," he said.
Diab expressed his condolences and wished for the speedy recovery of the wounded. It called for the formation of an investigative committee into the cause of the explosion, which should release its results within a maximum of five days, the statement added.
8 hours ago
US Defense Officials Contradict Trump, Saying There Are No Signs Of Attack In Beirut
By Barbara Starr, Ryan Browne, Nikki Carvajal
(AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
Three United States Defense Department officials told CNN that as of Tuesday night there is no indication that they have seen the massive explosions that shook the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday as an attack, as President Trump indicated during a question and answer session with journalists at the White House.
The officials, who declined to be identified in order to speak freely, said they do not know what the president is talking about.
An official noted that if there were indications that someone in the region was doing something of this scale, it would lead to automatic increases in force protection for US troops and assets in the region if it were for no other reason than to worry about attacks by retribution.
The official points out that none of that is happening (so far, at least).
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump offered sympathy and assistance to the people of Lebanon after the explosions, which left dozens dead and thousands injured, referring to the incident as a "terrible attack".
Lebanese authorities have not called the explosion an attack.
9 hours ago
President Trump offers assistance to Lebanon: "We will be there to help"
By Nikki Carvajal
(Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
President Trump offered sympathy and assistance to the people of Lebanon after an explosion that left dozens dead and thousands wounded on Tuesday, referring to the incident as a "terrible attack". Lebanese authorities have not called the explosion an attack.
"Let me start by sending the deepest condolences from the United States to the people of Lebanon, where reports indicate that many, many people were killed, hundreds more were seriously injured in a major explosion in Beirut," Trump said at a news conference on Tuesday. at night. “Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families. The United States is ready to help Lebanon. "
Trump said the country has "a very good relationship with the people of Lebanon and that we will be there to help."
"It looks like a terrible attack," said Trump, who seemed to look up from the notes on his podium.
There were conflicting reports about the cause of the blast, which was initially blamed on a large fire in a firecracker warehouse near the port. The director of the general security directorate later said that the explosion was caused by confiscated "highly explosive materials", but did not provide further details.
When asked if he was sure if the explosion was an attack and not an accident, the president said it "appears" to have been, based on what US military officials told him.
"It seems so, based on the explosion," Trump said. “I have met with some of our great generals and they seem to feel that it was not some kind of fabrication explosion type event. This was a ... seems to agree with them, they would know better than me, but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.
9 hours ago
At least 78 killed in Beirut explosion, says health minister
By Samantha Beech
(Credit: APAImages / Shutterstoc)
The death toll from a massive explosion in the capital Beirut on Tuesday reached 78, the Lebanese health minister told Reuters news agency.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan told Reuters that nearly 4,000 people were also injured.
"There are a lot of people missing so far. People ask the emergency department about their loved ones and it is difficult to search at night because there is no electricity. We are facing a real catastrophe and we need time to assess the extent of the damage, "Hassan told Reuters.
The minister previously said in televised comments that more than 70 people had died.
11 hours ago
The Beirut explosion generated seismic waves equivalent to a magnitude 3.3 earthquake
By Paul P. Murphy, Judson Jones
Data collected by the United States Geological Survey shows that the massive explosion in Beirut was so powerful that it created seismic waves equivalent to a magnitude 3.3 earthquake.
However, the equivalent of magnitude 3.3 is not "directly comparable to an earthquake of similar size."
This is because surface-type explosions, such as the Beirut explosion, do not produce as large a magnitude as a similar-energy earthquake would, according to Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center. Blakeman said most of the energy goes to the air and buildings.
"Not enough energy is transmitted to the rocks in the ground," he said.
That is, if the explosion had occurred below the surface of the earth, the magnitude would have been recorded even more.
11 hours ago
At least 73 dead in Beirut blast
By Charbel Mello
(Credit: AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)
The death toll in the massive explosion that rocked Beirut reached 73, Lebanese national broadcaster TeleLiban reported, citing Health Minister Hamad Hassan.
The minister said earlier today that at least 2,750 had been injured in the blast.
11 hours ago
Here's what the damage looks like inside Lebanon's prime minister's office
By Samantha Beech
(Credit: Nina dos Santos)
Photos taken from inside the Grand Serail, the Government Palace and the headquarters of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, showed some damage inside the building.
The building is approximately 1.6 kilometers from the site of the explosion.
The explosion also caused considerable damage to the Baabda Palace, the official residence of the country's president, according to Lebanese state media.
13 hours ago
Magnitude of losses is "too great to describe," says former Lebanese Prime Minister
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said in a tweet that the magnitude of the losses after an explosion that shook the capital Beirut "is too great to describe" and that the "greatest loss is that of dozens of dead and wounded."
"Everyone is called to rescue Lebanon and show solidarity with our people in all affected neighborhoods," he said.
14 hours ago
At least 50 dead and 2,750 wounded in Beirut blast, says health minister
The death toll in the Beirut blast has doubled to at least 50 dead, with many more feared dead and at least 2,750 injured, Health Minister Hamad Hassan told reporters outside a hospital on Tuesday.
Initially it had reported 25 people dead and more than 2,500 were injured.
14 hours ago
Beirut explosion kills political party leader
By Mohammed Tawfeeq
The secretary general of the Kataeb political party, Nazar Najarian, was killed in the powerful explosion on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese state news agency NNA.
Najarian was in his office when the explosion occurred. He died after being seriously injured.
14 hours ago
Hundreds hospitalized after the explosion in Beirut
(JANINE HAIDAR / AFP via Getty Images)
Hundreds of people have been hospitalized across the Lebanese capital and many are feared dead after a massive explosion that shook Beirut, smashed glass and damaged buildings miles from the site.
Hospital emergency rooms are being flooded by the wounded, and the emergency section of a major hospital, the American University of Beirut Medical Center, is unable to receive more patients, in part due to explosion damage, according to state media.
The Lebanese Red Cross, health officials and politicians have asked people to donate blood to help the wounded at the hospital.
Images of the city show cars, ambulances, and military vehicles packed with walking wounded and others who appeared not to be moving.
While officials have yet to announce an official number of victims, several members of the emergency services and politicians speaking to the local media have expressed concern that there may be a high death toll.
14 hours ago
Mexico offers solidarity after explosion in Beirut
The Mexican ambassador in Beirut, José Ignacio Madrazo, expressed Mexico's solidarity with the government of Lebanon after the explosion on Tuesday near the port of Beirut, adding that "there are no reports of Mexicans affected," according to the secretary of Foreign Affairs. from Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard.
«Report from our ambassador in Beirut, José Ignacio Madrazo: the cause of the great explosion that occurred today is unknown. There are no reports of affected Mexicans. Mexico expressed its solidarity and esteem for the victims and the Lebanese authorities as indicated in the guide of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Ebrard said on her official Twitter account on Tuesday.
15 hours ago
At least 400 wounded have been taken to a hospital
About 400 injured people were taken to the emergency unit of the Hotel Dieu hospital after the explosion, a registered nurse on duty at the medical center told CNN. The severity of the injuries was not immediately clear.
15 hours ago
An explosion shook Beirut on Tuesday. What we know, and what we don't know
A massive explosion swept through the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday, injuring many people and smashing windows in buildings across the city.
Here's what we know about the explosion so far:
Where it happened: The explosion appears to have focused on the city's port area. The state-run National News Agency reported that the source of the blast was initially believed to be a large fire in a warehouse in the area.
Many injured: Large numbers of people were injured in the blast, authorities said, and images from the scene captured the wounded staggering through the streets of the capital. The country's health minister ordered all hospitals in the area to prepare to receive the wounded. Authorities have not released any specific numbers on how many people were injured.
The effects were felt miles away: According to witnesses, the homes up to 10 miles away were damaged. A Beirut resident several kilometers from the scene of the blast said his windows had been smashed by the blast.
The cause is unclear: we're still not sure what caused the explosion.
15 hours ago
"It's like an apocalypse," says a witness to the Beirut explosion
Eyewitness Bachar Ghattas described dire scenes of chaos in the Lebanese capital after Tuesday's explosion, calling it "like an apocalypse."
"You can see wounded people on all the streets of Beirut, glass everywhere, cars are damaged, it's like an apocalypse," he said in a phone call with Becky Anderson of CNN.
It is very, very scary what is happening right now and people are going crazy. The emergency services are overwhelmed. "
"The port of Beirut is completely destroyed," he added on the site of the explosion. "We don't have a port."
15 hours ago
The White House is monitoring the explosion in Beirut
By Maegan Vazquez
The White House is monitoring the explosion in Beirut, said Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
"That was known when I was on my way here and it is safe to say that we are monitoring the situation," McEnany said.
In a previous statement, the US State Department said it is also "closely following reports of an explosion in Beirut" and "working closely with local authorities to determine if any of the US citizens were seen affected"
15 hours ago
Lebanese Prime Minister Declares National Day of Mourning
By Charbel Mello
Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday following Tuesday's massive explosion in the Beirut port area, national broadcaster TeleLiban reported.
Lebanese authorities previously said the blast has left large numbers of people injured, CNN correspondent Ben Wedeman reported.
The explosion caused massive damage to the surrounding area and sent a huge cloud of red smoke over the city.
15 hours ago
"It looks like what happened in Japan, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki"
At least 10 firefighters working for the Beirut municipality are missing after the explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, the city governor, Marwan Abboud, said, saying the scene reminded him of "Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
When the journalist asked him if the fire caused the explosion, he said: «We don't know. There was a fire, the [fire department] came to put it out, then the explosion happened and they disappeared. We are looking for them ».
"It looks like what happened in Japan, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That's what it reminds me of. I have never seen destruction on this scale in my life.
15 hours ago
Lebanese authorities report large number of injured
Lebanese authorities report large numbers of injuries after the explosion near the port of Beirut, according to CNN chief correspondent Ben Wedeman from Beirut.
The blast has left massive damage to the area and a huge cloud of smoke that looked red over the bureau, the CNN team on the ground said.
15 hours ago
Chaotic scenes in the Beirut hospital
A CNN producer in Beirut described the "chaotic scene" in the emergency room of one of Beirut's hospitals, with doctors conducting evaluations as they try to care for dozens of people injured in Tuesday's explosion.
"Some people had broken limbs, some are full of glass," said Ghazi Balkiz.
“I went in, I saw a few people lying on the ground, doctors trying to put IVs on them. A couple of people passed out, "he added.
16 hours ago
Beirut explosion: what we know
A massive explosion shook the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Tuesday night. The explosion appears to have focused on the city's port area.
A CNN producer witnessed a "chaotic scene" in the Beirut emergency room after the explosion.
News from the state agency NNA, administered by the State of Lebanon, reported that a large fire broke out near the port of Beirut and that fire crews rushed to the scene and worked to put out the blaze.
Beirut