Early this morning (5 August, Malaysian time) the world was shook by the news of a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.

So, far reports have shown that over 100 people died in the explosion and more than 4,000 are injured. The numbers are expected to rise with many more streaming into the hospitals in the city, as search for missing people are currently underway.

The death toll includes foreigners from Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and more.

The blast was felt many kilometres away

The explosion that shook the world.
A report by CNN also stated that the impact of the explosion extends up to 10 kilometres from the site, leaving behind devastating destruction.

According to New York Times, tremors caused by the explosion, which was recoded at 3.3 on richter scale, was felt all the way to Cyprus, located about 150 kilometres away.

What happened?

Initial social media posts by those who managed to capture the incident created many speculations, including bombing by Israel, but investigations has shown that the blast was caused by a huge cache of ammonium nitrate.



According to New York Times, the cache which contains approximately 2,750 tonnes of substances including ammonium nitrate, was seized by the government many years ago and stored at the port.

The detonation was reportedly an accident. However, the authorities have yet to confirm what triggered the explosion.
The country's government has promised to take action against those who left such huge amount of explosives lying around at the depot for six years

What happens now?

Countries have come to Beirut's aid.
The international community was quick to offer aid to Lebanon, a country that is already facing economic crises.

Latin American countries such as Brazil, Panama, Mexico and Ecuador, as well as Russia, were among the first to send aid in terms of medical supplies and manpower.

Images of the destruction caused by the explosion shows that the city looks like a war-zone after a bombing incident. Rubble and overturned vehicles are everywhere, and injured people including children were seen trying to seek assistance.


We hope that the country will recover from this incident and whoever was responsible for it faces justice.

#PrayForBeirut