Three hospitals have been completely destroyed in Beirut in Lebanon, after last night’s explosion at the harbour.
The president of the Order of Nurses in Beirut, Dr Mirna Doumit says 2 other hospitals were partially destroyed, placing a big strain on healthcare services in the country.
Patients had to be evacuated from the affected hospitals. 3 nurses have also been killed in the blast. More than 70 people have been killed and more than 4 000 others were injured.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, which is typically used as an agricultural fertilizer, had been stored for six years at a port warehouse without safety measures, “endangering the safety of citizens,” according to a statement.
It’s still not exactly clear what led to the ignition that wiped out entire streets across the seaside capital.
A massive explosion ripped through central Beirut on Tuesday, injuring hundreds of people and blowing out windows in buildings across the city.
The blast near the port in the Lebanese capital sent up a huge mushroom cloud-shaped shockwave, flipping cars and damaging buildings. pic.twitter.com/S7NK1ffwoS
— Smile90.4 FM (@Smile904FM) August 4, 2020
Video shows large explosion in Beirut, Lebanon – which has caused widespread damage and injured hundreds of people, Lebanese Red Cross sayshttps://t.co/WHTlKXMmUb pic.twitter.com/UNdwucjQx2
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 4, 2020
Pray for Beirut 🙏 #BeirutBlast pic.twitter.com/NAOWCDlQWb
— Jonah Tillman 🗳 (@JonahTillman6) August 5, 2020
