More than 200 people were killed and thousands were injured after a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on August 4, 2020.
The cause of the blast, near the city's port, is still under investigation. Lebanon's Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, said that about 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers and bombs, had been stored for six years at a port warehouse without safety measures, "endangering the safety of citizens," according to a statement.
The explosion blew out windows in buildings across the city and could be felt as far as Cyprus, hundreds of miles away. A red cloud hung over the city as firefighting teams rushed to the scene.

Volunteers conduct research at the explosion site on August 8, 2020.
Thibault Camus/AP

A man sits inside a damaged home in Beirut on August 7, 2020.
Hassan Ammar/AP

A woman and her sister-in-law show a photo of a missing man on August 7, 2020. Many people were reported missing after the explosion.
Thibault Camus/AP

Rescue workers search for missing people at the site of the explosion.
Hussein Malla/AP

People remove debris from a house on August 7, 2020.
Hussein Malla/AP

A French rescue worker rests on August 7, 2020.
Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

A man whose legs were injured because of the explosion looks at a destroyed house on August 7, 2020.
Hussein Malla/AP

Christelle Helou hugs the coffin of her cousin Nicole in Sarba, Lebanon, on August 6, 2020.
MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanese soldiers stand guard in front of destroyed ships.
Hussein Malla/AP

A woman, whose son was said to be missing after the explosion, waits outside Beirut's port to receive information from rescue teams.
Hussein Malla/AP

A statue representing the Lebanese expatriate is seen in front of a building that was damaged by the explosion.
Hussein Malla/AP

Lebanese soldiers search for survivors on August 5, 2020.
Hassan Ammar/AP

Beirut was declared a "disaster city" by authorities after the explosion.
Fadel Itani/NurPhoto/Getty Images

This aerial photo, taken on August 5, 2020, shows ruined structures at the port.
Haytham El Achkar/Getty Images

A damaged hospital room is seen on August 5, 2020.
Hassan Ammar/AP

This satellite image, obtained by CNN from Planet Labs Inc., shows a massive crater at the site of the explosion. See the before-and-after pictures
Planet Labs, Inc.

Rescue crews search a street for survivors on August 4, 2020. "People are asking the emergency department about their loved ones, and it is difficult to search at night because there is no electricity," Health Minister Hamad Hassan told the Reuters news agency. "We are facing a real catastrophe and need time to assess the extent of damages."
Daniel Carde/Getty Images

Wounded people wait to receive help outside a hospital. Emergency wards were inundated.
Ibrahim Amro/AFP/Getty Images

A helicopter fights a fire at the scene of the explosion.
STR/AFP/Getty Images

A nurse takes care of three babies in a damaged Beirut hospital on the day of the blast.
Bilal Jawich/Xinhua/Getty Images

Firefighters work at the scene after the explosion.
STR/AFP/Getty Images

A man reacts at the scene soon after the blast.
Ibrahim Amro/AFP/Getty Images



