Editor's Note: This piece has been updated.
A blood-red plume emanated from the port sector in Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday, in an unexpected explosion that wounded several dozen people and shattered nearby buildings.
What chemical or substance would cause a red plume of smoke? Here's Beirut. pic.twitter.com/rmgrRvZ7U6
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 4, 2020
This is the moment an explosion occurred in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) August 4, 2020
The explosion appeared to be centred around the city's port area containing warehouses and rippled through several areas of the capital.
Get the latest on this story here: https://t.co/UH3Jscyfkr pic.twitter.com/lIzHr7CPio
Lebanese authorities claim a blaze erupted on a ship hauling fireworks into the port, sparking the explosion, while the National News Agency said a warehouse caught fire. Media reports show individuals trapped under buildings and health authorities transporting them to nearby hospitals.
The Lebanese Red Cross responded to the incident:
Beirut Port Explosion: our teams are responding now. Updates to follow pic.twitter.com/FGL5MjTIFd
— Lebanese Red Cross (@RedCrossLebanon) August 4, 2020
People who experienced the explosion report being lifted off highways, cars strewn about the vicinity of the explosion, and windows breaking miles away.
This looks like the end of the world in Lebanon.
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) August 4, 2020
Shocking first video emerges after #Beirut explosion.pic.twitter.com/pHy3iUIGar
The Daily Star office, 1,300 feet from the site of the incident, sustained considerable damages.
BREAKING: Massive explosion in Beirut. Footage from the daily star office now in Lebanon pic.twitter.com/2uBsKP5wCH
— Ghada Alsharif (@GhadaaSharif) August 4, 2020
This is a developing story. Watch the fallout here.