Since the explosion that rocked Beirut, the Lebanese capital yesterday, many people have sought to know what could have caused the disaster.
From the information we gathered, the twin explosions that killed at least 100 people and wounding more than 4,000 was reportedly caused by fireworks warehoused at the port, and then a more devastating explosion most likely came from a nearby 2,750-ton stockpile of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical often used as fertilizer.
The Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the ammonium nitrate had been stored in the depot for six years.
The second blast sent a billowing, reddish plume high above the city’s port and created a shock wave that shattered glass for miles, CNN reports.
Footage shared on social media captured the explosion as it rocked Beirut.
One video appears to show a white pall of smoke rising over the city. Seconds later, a red plume of smoke can be seen shooting into the sky, followed by a massive explosion.
Investigators will try to determine whether the blasts were accidents or intentionally triggered. Beirut was engulfed in civil war from 1975 to 1990 and has seen bombings and conflict since then, raising fears of a possible return of violence.
But Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s general security service, warned against speculating about terrorism before the facts were known.
Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hassan has ordered all hospitals in the area to prepare to receive those injured in a major blast in Beirut, the state-run National News Agency reports.