A massive explosion has rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing at least 73 people, injuring close to 3000, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.
The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis.
Beirut hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies and generators to keep their lights on.
IN PICTURES: Explosion rocks capital city of Lebanon
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The explosion happened in the heart of Beirut in the busy port area at about 6pm (local time) during the busy rush hour.It began with a fire which is believed to have started in a fireworks factory at the port.
Injured survivors wait to be taken to hospital after the explosion. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (AP)
One Australian dead
At least one Australian has been killed in the blast, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Today.
"Our hearts go out to all of those in Lebanon and in Beirut in particular at the moment," Mr Morrison told Today.
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"You can see from the image of the blast it is just absolutely devastating. But beyond that, as we know, there are hundreds of thousands of Australians who have Lebanese descent and they will be concerned about family members.
Australian killed in Beirut
"Our hearts really go out to our Lebanese Australian community. I know there will be many prayers in the churches and the mosques in Australia, but again, given the COVID restrictions, I would just urge the appropriate response, those private prayers this morning will be the ones that people will be offering and so will I."
Health Minister Hamad Hassan said at least 60 have been killed and at least 2750 people injured in what is believed to be an industrial accident.
Lebanon's head of security Abbas Ibrahim says the blast was caused by a highly explosive material including sodium nitrate which he believes was confiscated from a ship several months ago. It was stored at a facility at the port there.
Video shows the crackers going off in a cloud of smoke before the huge blast and mushroom cloud that filled the sky.
Blast 'felt like an earthquake'
CNN senior correspondent Ben Weeder who is based in Beirut said the initial blast "felt like an earthquake".
"In fact, that is what I thought it was initially because this is an earthquake zone but just a millisecond afterwards, the windows were blown in, the window frames were blown inside the bureau and I heard just smashing, shattering glass for sort of 360 degrees around me."
Data collected by the United States Geological Survey shows that the massive explosion in Beirut was so powerful, it created seismic waves equivalent of a magnitude 3.3 earthquake.
But he said other buildings simply collapsed after the initial blast.
The veteran journalist who has covered wars in Iraq, Libya, Lebanon and Afghanistan said he had never seen an explosion like the blast in Beirut.
"I spoke to one woman who lives in my neighbourhood in the western part of this city who said that she was here throughout the civil war, throughout the 2006 war between Israel and
Lebanon, and in all of that time, she has never seen a blast as large and as destructive as the one that happened this evening."
Weeder said hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed by the estimated 4000 injured.
"As far as the hospitals go, they're all damaged. But they're still doing their best to treat people. Sometimes they have to do it in the parking lot, just given the sheer number of people there."
And he was sure the death toll would pass the current figure of 72 people.
"Unfortunately you can take it for granted that these numbers are only going to continue to increase in the coming hours."
The enormous blast wave was found 230km away in Cyprus.
Hundreds of buildings in Beirut have been completely flattened and destroyed. Homes 20km away have had their windows blown out and cars have been flipped on to their roofs.
Ambulances ferry the injured to hospital after the huge blast. (AP)
The Red Cross is calling for urgent blood donations.
Bloodied people are lining up outside hospitals and being turned away because they simply do not have the resources.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the explosion "will not pass without accountability" and "those responsible will pay for what happened."
He said that an investigation into the explosion will include "revelations that will be announced about this dangerous warehouse which has been present since 2014," without providing any additional details.
Describing the explosion as a "catastrophe," he said in a televised statement that the priority now was to recover the dead and treat the injured.
He concluded by making "an emergency call to all those countries who love this country to stand by us and to help us heal our deep wounds."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia is available to provide support to Lebanon.
Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh says there are hundreds of casualties, including dead and wounded.
A civil defence official on the scene of the blast said his men had evacuated dozens to hospitals and that there were still bodies inside the port, many of them under debris.
The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
"It was like a nuclear explosion," said Walid Abdo, a 43-year-old school teacher in the neighbourhood of Gemayzeh near Beirut.
Charbel Haj, who works at the port, said it started as small explosions like firecrackers, then the huge blast erupted and he was thrown off his feet. His clothes were torn.
People evacuate the wounded after of a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
An injured man rests in a chair after a large explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. (Getty)
Kilometres from the port, balconies were knocked down, windows shattered, streets were covered with glass and bricks and lined with wrecked cars.
Motorcyclists picked their way through traffic, carrying the injured.
One woman covered in blood from the waist up walked down a trashed street while talking furiously on her phone.
On another street, a woman with a bloodied face looked distraught, staggering through traffic with two friends at her side.
"This country is cursed," a young man passing by muttered.
An injured worker walks at the explosion scene that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
Aftermath of a massive explosion is seen in in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
The blast was stunning even for a city that has been shaken by civil war, suicide bombings and bombardment by
Israel.
Dozens of ambulances ferried the injured from the port area, where the wounded lay on the ground, Associated Press staff at the scene said.
Hospitals called for blood donations.
Israel is offering humanitarian medical assistance to Lebanon following the massive blast in Beirut Tuesday afternoon, even though the two countries have no diplomatic relations.
"Under the direction of Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel approached Lebanon through international defense and diplomatic channels to offer the Lebanese government medical humanitarian aid," a statement read.
Following the announcement, Israel's President Reuven Rivlin tweeted, "We share the pain of the Lebanese people and sincerely reach out to offer our aid at this difficult time."
An elderly woman is helped while walking through debris after a large explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. (Getty)
Injured people stand after of a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
People are evacuated after of a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
The head of the Lebanese Red Cross told local TV there were hundreds of casualties although many were superficial wounds from broken glass.
Video taken by residents showed a fire raging at the port, sending up a giant column of smoke, illuminated by flashes of what appear to be fireworks.
Local TV stations reported that a fireworks warehouse was involved.
The fire then appeared to catch at a nearby building, triggering a more massive explosion, sending up a mushroom cloud and a shock wave over the city.
The blast came at a time when Lebanon's economy is facing collapse, hit both by a financial crisis and coronavirus restrictions.
A Lebanese soldier directs an injured sailor to evacuate the explosion scene that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
Aftermath of a massive explosion is seen in in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP)
Many have lost jobs, while the worth of their savings has evaporated as the currency has plunged in value against the dollar.
The result has thrown many into poverty.
It also comes amid rising tensions between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group along Lebanon's southern border.
The explosion was reminiscent of massive blasts during Lebanon's civil war and took place only three days before a UN-backed tribunal was set to give its verdict in the killing of former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a truck bombing more than 15 years ago.
That explosion, with a ton of explosives, was felt miles away, just like Tuesday's explosion.
It was the latest chapter for a country that has suffered a 15-year civil war, repeated conflict with Israel, political assassinations and various other crises including the current unprecedented financial and economic crisis.
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