Video: $3-5 Billion. Beirut Governor Estimates Damage from Port Explosion

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud estimated the damage caused by the powerful explosion that took place in the Lebanese capital on August 4 at $3-5 billion. This was reported by the Russian news agency 'RIA Novosti' citing the Lebanese portal LBCI News.

“The extent of the damage reaches $3-5 billion, possibly even more. Hundreds of Beirut residents have been left without housing,” stated the Governor of Beirut.

Residents of the Lebanese capital are trying to recover from the catastrophic explosion that rattled the city on the evening of August 4. The powerful explosion at the port of Beirut has resulted in over 100 casualties, with more than 4,000 injuries, according to the office of the Red Cross in Lebanon. Among the victims, 6 were Armenian.

The blast wave was so strong that no area of the capital remained untouched by the destruction; even neighboring Jordan experienced tremors with a magnitude of 4.5.

Beirut has been declared a disaster zone following the powerful explosion on the evening of August 4, and a state of emergency has been imposed in the city for two weeks, from August 4-18.

During an extraordinary session of Lebanon's Supreme Security Council, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that those responsible for the disaster would be held strictly accountable. “It is absolutely unacceptable that 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were stored at the port for six years without any preventive measures taken by port authorities,” emphasized Diab.

The devastating explosion in Beirut has also caused significant damage to Armenian community structures. “The doors, windows, and chandeliers of the Mother Cathedral in Antelias, the Catholicosate, the Armenian educational and pedagogical centers, as well as the 'Cilicia' museum have been damaged,” stated a message from the Catholicosate.