Smoke rises after an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, in this picture obtained from a social media video.
Hundreds of tons of highly explosive material were stored in a waterfront hangar that blew up. The shock wave killed at least 160 people, wounded nearly 6,000 and defaced the coastline of Beirut — destroying hundreds of buildings and leaving more than 300,000 people homeless.
The massive explosion was so powerful it left a smoking crater stretching more than 700 feet and registered as a 3.3-magnitude earthquake.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that an international donors’ conference of more than 30 participants — aimed at showing global support for Lebanon — has pledged a total of 225.7 million euros ($298 million) in emergency aid for the region.
The Lebanese government has vowed to find those responsible for the blast, which they say was caused by 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that was seized over six years ago but never destroyed.
