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On Tuesday evening two massive explosions crippled Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut.

The explosion has killed more than 78 people, and over 4,000 are injured.

Footage taken and posted to social media shows buildings and windows taken out as the explosion ignites, streets were littered with debris and, the massive blasts upturned hundreds of cars.

The impact was felt up to 200km away in Cyprus.

The scale of the damage is enormous, with buildings miles from the port lying in ruin.

Highly explosive material seized years ago, had been stored at the port, causing the explosions.

Lebanon’s prime minister, Hassan Diab, said the cause of the explosion was 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The warehouse that authorities claim was the site of the blast had been the subject of warnings going back to 2014, he said.

Diab said he would “reveal facts” about the warehouse eventually, but he did not want to forestall an inquiry. Hassan Diab declared a public day of mourning for the victims of the explosion. 

Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, denied any role and offered help with aiding victims.

Lebanon has been crippled by a number of long-pacing, ostensibly unmanageable crises for decades.

The country endured an overwhelming 15-year civil war and has often been caught in the crossfire of territorial struggles. The destructive explosions that ripped through the Beirut port on Tuesday – which comes amid the coronavirus pandemic and an economic meltdown – may be the tragedy that brings a beleaguered nation to its hinges.

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