The gigantic explosion that rocked the capital city of Lebanon on Tuesday blew out windows and buildings across the city and was felt as far as a hundred miles away. As of this morning, more than 4,000 people are reported to be injured and at least 70 have been pronounced dead, with thousands more missing. CNN reports two Filipinos killed and eight are injured.
Reports point the origin of the explosion to be a warehouse with unsafe storing of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that explodes violently when in contact with open flames. Lebanon’s Supreme Defence Council has already launched an investigation and vowed that those responsible would face the “maximum punishment” possible.
A massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon just took place. This is not a movie scene. It just happened. This is a video of the explosions in 7 different angles. Pray for Lebanon
Check the thread to help
— #BBNaijaLockdown eelive.ng (@eeliveblog) August 4, 2020
We woke up to heartbreaking footage of the aftermath on social media showing collapsed houses, glass everywhere on the streets, and hospitals overwhelmed with patients. Countries have reacted to the devastating events by extending their sympathies and offering help and support including Qatar, Iran, Israel, the UK, and the US.
Interviewing ER doctors at some of Beirut’s biggest hospitals, and they are crying. St. George Hospital is destroyed. Patients streamed down the stairs to exit the hospital, bc elevators were damaged. Children being treated for cancer are now wounded from flying glass shards.
— Maria Abi-Habib (@Abihabib) August 4, 2020
The grieving people of Lebanon need all the help they can get from around the world. Outside this explosion, the country is fighting the coronavirus pandemic and extreme poverty that has already caused many to go hungry. Even if we are far away, we can extend a helping hand and offer resources through these methods:
The Lebanese Red Cross
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Help through the Lebanese Red Cross by downloading their app and selecting the amount you’d like to donate. The minimum is $2 or roughly P98. The app lets you select local ambulance stations to donate to.
Lebanese Food Bank
The Lebanese Food Bank is a non-profit organization providing food to families and individuals and aiming to eliminate hunger in the country. You can send donations online by clicking this link.
GoFundMe fundraisers
You can donate to GoFundMe fundraisers Beirut Explosion Disaster Relief, Medical Relief to Lebanon, Foodblessed Food Boxes, or Lebanon Needs. These are dedicated to providing medical aid, food, and financial support to people in need.
JustGiving fundraisers
This fundraiser is raising money to aid the Lebanese kids and elderly and this one is hosted by AIM Islam to help Beirut blast victims. Non-profit organization Impact Lebanon has also started a fundraiser for disaster relief for the Beirut explosion.
Lebanon NGOs
Click this link for a list of Lebanon NGOs where people can send help to.
Caritas Lebanon
Caritas youth is currently on site nearby hospitals assisting those injured in the explosion this afternoon. God help Lebanon 🙏#lebanonexplosion #lebanon #beirut #beirutblast #beirutport #BeirutExplosions pic.twitter.com/RWii35I0Ie
— Caritas Lebanon (@Caritaslb) August 4, 2020
Donate to Caritas Lebanon through this link.
Locating Victims
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An Instagram account with the username locatevictimsbeirut has been helping families look for missing loved ones. Some people are successfully found through the help of this account but thousands more are missing. Even if you’re not in Beirut or anywhere in Lebanon, sharing will still be a huge help. As of writing, Locating Victims has 94 posts.
Share these Twitter threads to educate
an informative thread on what’s happening in Lebanon #prayingforlebanon #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/tdDsZpoPaH
— kaidraᴬ (@hippieIovers) August 4, 2020
a thread of people offering places to stay in for those who have been rendered homeless because of the tragic blast in lebanon and are in dire need of a place to stay at :
— ∞ (@innterstaellar) August 4, 2020
take a second to read about what’s happening in Lebanon if you have the time! The country has been undergoing a financial crisis for the last year and today there was an explosion in Beirut that injured a lot of people. here’s more info: https://t.co/scKp7ZgyvP
— maia (@mxmtoon) August 5, 2020
If you are unable to provide financial or in-kind assistance, you can always share helpful information on your social media and remember Lebanon in your prayers. They need all the help they can get to get through these tough times.
A beautiful city destroyed..
Please, If you see this. Pray for the people in Lebanon. They need us, They need our help. #PrayForLebanon pic.twitter.com/o8SIOKi0sa
— ☏ (@ItsHazelxxo) August 5, 2020
Do you know more ways to help Lebanon explosion victims?
