The recent explosion in Beirut which is the capital city of Lebanon, has killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6000. There are more than a hundred missing so far.
These figures are subject to change as there are many people still trapped under wreckage.
Beirut has been devastated by the explosion which occurred on Tuesday 4 August. Half of the capital which is the largest city in Lebanon has been damaged as a result.
Explosion Heard 150 Miles Away
The cause of the explosion was the unsafe storage in a factory of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can also be used in bombs. The ammonium nitrate had been in a warehouse in the Beirut port for six years after it was unloaded from a ship impounded in 2014.
Questions are being asked, how does such a volatile stockpile exist in the middle of a nation’s capital without any regulation or safety measures?
The sheer scale of the explosion can be understood by the fact that it was heard and felt 150 miles away in Cyprus.
The force was such that entire streets were obliterated.
The Lebanese government has declared a two week state of emergency, granting full power to the military.
Around 20 countries have offered emergency supplies including the UK which has pledged £5m to help victims. The explosion brought back memories of another blast 15 years ago when the former Lebanese prime-minister Rafik Hariri was killed by a car bomb.
Lebanon Is Going Through a Severe Financial Crisis
France’s President Emmanuel Macron was the first world leader to visit the country and offered aid to its former colony. He promised the aid wouldn’t end up in the pockets of corrupt officials..
“The repair cost is estimated to be around $15 billion.”
The Lebanese people need emergency aid as more than 300,000 people have been left homeless. They are rightly angry at the negligence and incompetence of authorities. People have compared the explosion and the resulting mushroom cloud to the bombing of Hiroshima in Japan.
Lebanon is in dire financial straits, unemployment is at 25 percent and nearly a third of the population live below the poverty line. There is widespread resentment at the corruption and neglect of officials. Lebanon was ranked 137 out of 180 (180 being the worst) on Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index.
There is anger on the streets of Lebanon, protestors are calling for a revolution. They will only be happy if the government steps down.
Lebanon is trying its best to stop the spread of Covid-19 along with trying to overcome an economic crisis, the explosion has exacerbated an already fragile situation.
The Lebanese people need our financial and political support during these testing times.
The repair cost is estimated to be around $15 billion.
Lebanon has less than a month’s reserves of food left; children could soon starve to death. Save the Children has reported that half a million children are already going hungry in Beirut.
Please raise awareness of this disaster and raise money for the Lebanese people. One of our charity partners has launched a campaign for Lebanon, our target is £20,000
