Beirut: Shocking details have emerged about the massive explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.
Nearly 80 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said.
Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, said it might have been caused by highly explosive material that was confiscated from a ship some time ago and stored at the port.
Local television channel LBC said the material was sodium nitrate. Witnesses reported seeing a strange orange-colored cloud like that which appears when toxic nitrogen dioxide gas is released after an explosion involving nitrates.
One of Israel’s top bomb experts, Boaz Hayoun, said fireworks could have been a factor setting off the bigger blast. ‘Before the big explosion, … in the center of the fire, you can see sparks, you can hear sounds like popcorn and you can hear whistles, said Hayoun, owner of the Tamar Group, which works closely with the Israeli government on safety and certification issues involving explosives. ‘This is very specific behavior of fireworks.
Charbel Haj, who works at the port, said it started as small explosions like firecrackers. Then, he said, he was thrown off his feet by the huge blast. His clothes were torn.
Lebanon’s Interior Minister said initial information indicated highly explosive material, seized years ago, that had been stored at the port had blown up. Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, denied any role and offered help.