‘It’s a catastrophe, Lebanon is gone’: Survivors recount Beirut blasts

“It’s a catastrophe! Catastrophe in Lebanon! Lebanon is destruction! Lebanon is gone, bye!” one survivor told Al Arabiya on Tuesday after two explosions ripped through Beirut’s port.

Another survivor said he blamed the “neglect” by the Lebanese government following the explosions.

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At least 70 people were killed Tuesday and more than 3,000 wounded in multiple explosions that rocked Downtown Beirut, Lebanon's health minister said. US President Donald Trump said he had reason to believe that the blasts were an attack.

Buildings several kilometers away suffered material damage, the explosions were heard over 20 kilometers away from Beirut and residents in Cyprus said they felt the blasts.

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“I turned and wanted to return home and suddenly I heard an explosion. What happened, happened, and I was wounded and didn’t know anything else,” one survivor told Al Arabiya close to the site of explosions in Downtown Beirut.

“I don’t want to give a specific number, but I will tell you that we have more [casualties] than our capacity. There are casualties, yes. There are critical injuries and other minor ones,” said one doctor at a hospital treating patients.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosions, which resulted in a giant mushroom cloud above the country. But Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were stored in the warehouse that exploded in the Port of Beirut.

Al Arabiya English’s Joseph Haboush contributed to this report.

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