BEIRUT—A massive explosion devastated the capital of Lebanon on Tuesday, killing dozens of people and causing widespread damage and injuries across the city.
Officials are now investigating the cause of the blast, which occurred at the Beirut port during evening rush hour. Lebanon’s security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim told reporters upon touring the ruins that it appears the explosion was caused by highly explosive material in a warehouse at the industrial port, which serves as an economic lifeline for the small country that is already experiencing a deepening economic and political crisis. Health Minister Hassan Hamad says 25 people have died so far, and more than two-thousand people are hurt. The Secretary General of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, Nazar Najarian, is among the casualties.
The scale of the damage left in the wake of the explosion is startling in chaotic footage that is being broadcast on social media and local and international news outlets.
“Thank God, we are safe,” said Weekly contributor Yeghia Tashjian, who lives in Beirut. Tashjian is estimating thousands of injuries, as he describes the wreckage of his neighborhood. “We still don’t know what really happened,” he continued.
For its part, Cilicia TV—the media hub of the Armenian Church Catholicosate of Cilicia—went live in the immediate aftermath to document His Holiness Aram I touring the Armenian quarters of Bourj Hammoud. Astounded, he asked a business owner in Armenian, “Is this glass or snow?” “It’s glass,” he replied, assuring His Holiness that no one was harmed. His Holiness also visited the Sardarabard cultural center, which was housing several people who were wounded. Asbarez is reporting the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Shaghzoyan center, which houses the editorial offices of Aztag Daily and the Vana Tsayn Radio station, has been damaged, but no injuries have been reported.
This is a developing story.
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