Beirut explosion

There may not have been a more sensitive time for Lebanon to see an explosion that may cost it $5b

Engulfed in a gory civil war for a decade and half, between 1975 and 1990, and having seen bombings and bloodshed since then, the citizens of Beirut may not have experienced anything as big as what happened early Tuesday evening. A massive explosion rocked the Port of Beirut, killing at least 100 people and injuring thousands of others. Look at how gigantic the explosion in in the Lebanese capital was: it was heard 150 miles away on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean; it was so powerful that it made the ground tremble, and some residents thought an earthquake had struck; massive damage was caused in several neighbourhood of the capital; and according to Governor Marwan Abboud, Beirut is a “devastated city… half of it destroyed”.

While an investigation is under way to find the exact trigger for the explosion, officials are blaming highly explosive materials stored in a warehouse for six years. Prime Minister Hassan Diab spoke of a ‘dangerous warehouse’ which had been there since 2014, but said he would not pre-empt the investigation. President Michel Aoun tweeted it was ‘unacceptable’ that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored so unsafely. The President declared a three-day mourning period, and pledged 100 billion lira, equivalent to $66 million, as emergency fund. Also not yet known is whether the explosion was just an accident or triggered intentionally. With an influx of refugees from neighboring Syria and the reigning coronavirus pandemic already turning out to be a big drain on an already depleting economy, there may not have been a more sensitive time for Lebanon to experience an explosion that is going to cost the country as much as $5 billion, according to the Beirut governor.

Like our Ojhri Camp explosion of April 1988 that triggered bombardment in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the Beirut explosion will live on in bitter memories.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2020.

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