A devastated city

BEIRUT A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 70 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with bodiesburied in the rubble, officials said. It was not clear what caused the blast, which struck with the force of a3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany s geosciences center GFZ, and was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 180 miles across the Mediterranean. Lebanon s interior minister said it appeared that a large cache of ammonium nitrate in the port had detonated. The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the coronavirus pandemic and a severe economic and financialcrisis. For hours after the explosion, ambulances rushed in from around the country to carry away the wounded. Hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies, and generators to keep theirlights on. For blocks arresidents staggered through streets lined with overturned cars and littered with rubble from shattered buildings. Windows and doors were blown out miles away, including at the city s only international airport. Army helicopters helpedbattle fires. Interior Minister Moham- med Fahmi told alocal TV station that it appeared the blast was caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse at the dock ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014. Witnesses reported seeing an orange cloud like that which appears when toxic nitrogen dioxide gas is released after an explosion involving nitrates. Videos showed what appeared to be a fire erupting nearby just before, and local TV stations reported that a fireworks warehouse was involved. The fire appeared to spread to a nearby building, triggering the more massive explosion, sending up a mushroom cloud and generating a shock wave. Charbel Haj, who works at the port, said the blast started as small ions like firecrackers. Then, he said, he was thrown off hisfeet. The explosion came amid ongoing tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah military group on Lebanon s southern border. Many residents reported hearing planes overhead just before the blast, fueling rumors of an attack, though Israeli military overflight sare common. An Israeli government official said Israel had nothing to do with the blast. Hespoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the news media. President Donald Trump said the U.S. stands ready to assist Lebanon, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo extended his deepest condolences. Our team in Beirut has reported to me the extensive damage to a city and a people that I hold dear, an additional challenge in a time of already deep crisis, Pompeo said in a written statement. At the start of a White House news conference on the coronavirus, Trump said the explosioneporter if he was confident that it was an attack, Trump said: I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was. But one of Israel s top bomb experts, Boaz Hayoun, said fireworks could have been a factor setting off the bigger blast. Before the big explosion ... in the center of the fire, you can see sparks, you can hear sounds like popcorn and you can hear whistles, said Hayoun, owner of the Tamar Group, which works closely with the Israeli government on safety and certification issues involving explosives. This is very specific behavior of fireworks. The blast was stunning even for a city that has seen a 15-year civil war, suicide bombings, bombardment by Israel and political assassinations. It was a real horror show. I haven t seen anything like that since the days of the (civil) war, said Marwan Ramadan, who was about 500 yards from the port and was knocked off his feet by the force of the ers as he toured the site, exclaiming, Beirut is a devastated city. Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed that those responsible will pay. Confusion reigned across the city, as people cleared out of damaged homes or tried to locate family. Motorcyclists picked their way through traffic, carrying the injured. One woman covered in blood from the waist up walked down a trashed street while talking furiously on her phone. On another street, a woman with a bloodied face looked distraught, staggering through traffic with two friends at her side. This country is cursed,