Lebanon Explosion Leaves Nearly 4000 Injured, Hospitals Overwhelmed

The capital of Lebanon is struggling to recover from a disastrous explosion that occurred on the evening of August 4. “I was just a few meters away from the Lebanon Electric Corporation, which is very close to the port. I got out of my car, ran towards the entrance of one of the buildings, and only moments later realized it had been destroyed. I tried calling my parents, but I couldn’t reach anyone. I can’t believe I survived,” said eyewitness Nada Hamzan in an interview with Al Jazeera.

A retired general of the Lebanese army also recalled the events of the civil war. “This is a disaster. There was shattered glass everywhere on the streets, and at every corner, you see many injured people,” noted Khaled Hamad, who was half a kilometer away from the explosion site at the time.

The Lebanese Minister of Health announced that the number of injured is reportedly around 4000. “Hospitals are overflowing, and those who do not require surgical intervention need to be moved to hotels in downtown Beirut,” the minister stated according to TASS.

Firefighters have yet to fully extinguish the intense fire that broke out at the explosion site. The shockwave from the explosion was so powerful that no part of the capital was spared from devastation.