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.
Initial reports in state media blamed the blast on a major fire at a firecrackers warehouse near the port, that likely spread to nearby buildings. However, the Prime Minister's account appeared to be backed by Lebanon's General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who said a "highly explosive material" had been confiscated years earlier and stored in the warehouse, just minutes' walk from Beirut's shopping and nightlife districts.
As Beirut's 4 million residents wake to the full horror and scale of the damage to their city, lives, and livelihoods, questions will be asked about why such large quantities of the dangerous chemical were allowed to be stored in the middle of the city without adequate safety measures, and who is responsible.
Immediate concerns remain with the casualties. Hospitals -- already stretched from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic -- are inundated with the wounded and while the death toll steadily rose through Tuesday and into Wednesday, the true cost of life may not be known for several days as more bodies are pulled from the wreckage and the scale of the devastation is realized. Relatives of the missing are scouring hospitals looking for their loved ones and aid agency Save the Children warned of children being among those unaccounted for.
Lebanon's Health Minister Hamad Hassan said on national television Wednesday that the death toll will likely increase and that four hospitals are out of service because of damage from the explosion.
The blast also comes at a difficult time for the cash-strapped country, which has been ravaged by economic and political turmoil exacerbated by the fallout from the Covid-19 outbreak.
Though Lebanon has only confirmed 5,062 coronavirus cases and 65 related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, pandemic-related restrictions have further exacerbated the country's deep and long-running financial crisis.
Violent protests have erupted over rising hunger and poverty, which has soared to over 50%, and scenes of people scavenging garbage dumps for basic necessities have become commonplace.
Power outages are common in the capital, compounding pressures on basic services to provide for the injured.
Prime Minister Diab has launched an investigation into the explosion, saying he "will not rest until we find those responsible for what happened, hold them accountable, and impose maximum punishment."
Ammonium nitrate is a highly volatile material that's used in agricultural fertilizer and high-grade explosives. Two US tons of the chemical was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, a domestic terror attack that kil
