Pope renews prayers for victims of Beirut port explosion

By Thaddeus Jones

Speaking at the conclusion of Sunday's Angelus, Pope Francis renewed his prayers for the people of Lebanon who are still recovering after a devastating explosion at the port of Beirut that took place almost three years ago on 4 August 2020. 

Correspondent Nathan Morley gives us more context in this report.

This week marks three years since a huge explosion ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut, leaving a trail of devastation. In the coming days, several memorial services will take place in Lebanon to pay tribute to the 218 people that died in the disaster.

The blast on 4 August 2020 was caused when nearly 3,000 tones of ammonium nitrate ignited and tore through Beirut Port leaving a trail of devastation.

The chemical which caused the explosion was used in fertilisers and had been sitting in storage for years without any apparent safety measures.

After years of evaluations, the blast is estimated to have caused up to $15 billion in damage as well as leaving 5,000 injured and 300,000 homeless.

The explosion was so powerful that it was equivalent to a 4.5 local magnitude earthquake and was clearly heard across the Mediterranean on the island of Cyprus, over 100 kilometres away.

Even before the incident, Lebanon was suffering a deep economic crisis and struggling to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The country recorded record high unemployment levels, lethargic growth and held one of the highest debt ratios anywhere in the Middle East.