Massive explosion rocks Beirut

Published August 4, 2020 4:21pm ET



An enormous explosion tore through Lebanon’s capital of Beirut on Tuesday, captured in videos posted to social media showing what appeared to be smoke coming from the port area of the city, followed by a massive blast shaped like a mushroom cloud.

Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh said there are hundreds of people who are either dead or wounded. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported at least 73 dead and 2,750 wounded in the blast that occurred at about 6 p.m. local time. A nurse at the Hotel Dieu hospital in Lebanon told CNN that some 400 wounded people have been brought in to the emergency unit there. American University of Beirut Medical Center is at capacity and is unable to take more patients. The Washington Examiner has reached out to both hospitals for confirmation and for updated totals. The Lebanese Red Cross issued an “urgent call” for blood donations of all types and encouraged residents to head to transfusion sites.

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