Beirut blast aftermath: destruction, chaos and rescue

A powerful explosion rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing at least 100 people and injuring thousands more. Hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity and there have been appeals for people to give blood. By Darko Janjevic

  • Man and woman running in Beirut (photo: Reuters/M. Azakir)
    Panic in Beirut: two immense blasts shook Beirut and the surrounding areas of the Lebanese capital, prompting panic as residents rushed to safety. "I have never in my life seen a disaster this big," Beirut's governor told local TV
  • Lebanon explosion (photo: Reuters/K. Sokhn)
    Blasts felt on city's outskirts: the explosions, centred in Beirut's port region, were felt throughout the capital. Even residents on the city's outskirts reported hearing the blast, with some saying their windows were shattered
  • Man being evacuated following the explosion in Beirut (photo: Reuters/M. Azakir)
    Dozens killed, thousands injured: Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 others were injure
  • Helicopter douses fire following explosion in Beirut (photo: Getty Images/AFP/STR)
    "Unacceptable" ammonium nitrate stock: Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that a large stockpile of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse at the port had caused the second, larger explosion. "It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures," Diab said
  • Rescue efforts in Beirut (photo: picture-alliance/AA/H. Shbaro)
    Race to save survivors: more than 30 Red Cross teams raced to the scene, with many locals lending a hand to aid rescue efforts. Hospitals warned that they were quickly filled beyond capacity — and called for blood donations as well as generators to help keep the electricity on
  • Aftermath of Beirut blasts, man walks through rubble (photo: Getty Images/AFP/STR)
    Felt as far away as Cyprus: the blasts struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany's geosciences center GFZ. Residents in Cyprus, some 180 km across the sea from Beirut, reported hearing and feeling the blast
  • People in Beirut run through rubble in the explosion aftermath (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Ammar)
    People are "asking for their loved ones": Deutsche Welle's Bassel Aridi said people were using social media to try to track down their loved ones after the explosions. Aridi also visited a hospital in Beirut after the blasts. "What I saw in the hospital was so dramatic. All the hospitals have announced that they are totally overloaded"
  • People stand by a building and car in ruins in the evening in Beirut (photo: Getty Images/AFP/STR)
    Two-week state of emergency: Lebanese authorities fear many more people are buried beneath rubble. President Michel Aoun scheduled an emergency Cabinet meeting for Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared
  • A group of men sit near the entrance of a shop damaged during the explosion in Beirut (photo: Getty Images/D. Carde)
    Lebanon faces double-blow: the devastating blasts come as Lebanon experiences severe economic turbulence, with many people taking to the streets in recent months to protest the financial situation. Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion