Shocking Videos Capture Massive Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon

• A massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Tuesday, with many feared dead from the blast and resulting shock wave.
• A red-orange mushroom cloud formed above the city after the explosion.
• Director-General of Lebanese intelligence suggested that confiscated high-explosive materials stored at the local port triggered the explosion.

A massive explosion which produced a huge shock wave shook the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Tuesday. Emergency workers immediately responded and there were reports of extensive damage and a high number of casualties.

Videos of the terrifying explosion, the cause of which is still unclear at the time of writing, quickly surfaced on social media.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that a fire had broken out at a fireworks warehouse, suggesting that this might have triggered an explosion.

Local reports said that the blast was felt many miles away.

The full extent of the damage remains unclear but local reports indicated that while the blast was focused on the port area, there was also widespread damage in the city.

Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the director-general of Lebanese intelligence, dismissed the fireworks explanation as “ridiculous,” attributing the blast to confiscated high-explosive materials stored at the local port. Local media identified the material as sodium nitrate.

Ibrahim added, however, that he would not preempt the investigation.

The National News Agency said there were “countless” casualties. The country’s health minister says that at least 25 people are dead and more than 2,500 have been wounded. The hospitals are overwhelmed to the point that some have had to turn people away.