Situation Report: A massive explosion rocks Beirut, injuring hundreds

A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, injuring hundreds around the Beirut Port area. Multiple videos of the explosion show a giant cloud of smoke rising from the coastline followed by a large blast and shock waves. Buildings and structures miles away from the blast center were knocked down, foundations collapsed and windows were shattered.

According to Reuters, ten fatalities have been confirmed, however, this number will likely jump up as the day unfolds. Lebanon’s health minister, Hamad Hassan, stated that hundreds were injured by the explosion. Hassan has ordered all hospitals in the region to prepare for the influx of those injured, the state-run National News Agency reported.  The Secretary-General of the Kataeb Party was seriously injured by the blast, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Local media in Beirut initially reported that the source of the explosion was a fire at a firecracker warehouse near the port.

This explosion comes one day after Lebanon foreign minister Nassif Hitti resigned from office, citing risks of a ‘failed state.’ This resignation was the latest blow to Diab’s six-month-old government, which has been accused of resisting reform due to the interests of the country’s political-financial elite. Lebanon is also experiencing economic catastrophe as the government confronts rapid inflation, rising poverty and soaring unemployment rates.