By order of the judge, the cargo was brought ashore in 2014 and placed in Warehouse 12 at the

port,[32] where it remained for the next six years.[16][17][23][33] The MV Rhosus sank in the harbour in
February 2018.[34]
Customs officials had sent letters to judges requesting a resolution to the issue of the confiscated
cargo, proposing that the ammonium nitrate be either exported, given to the army, or sold to the
private Lebanese Explosives Company.[b][17] Letters had been sent on 27 June and 5 December
2014, 6 May 2015, 20 May and 13 October 2016, and 27 October 2017.[17][36] One of the letters sent in
2016 noted that judges had not replied to previous requests, and "pleaded": [17]
In view of the serious danger of keeping these goods in the hangar in unsuitable climatic conditions,
we reaffirm our request to please request the marine agency to re-export these goods immediately
to preserve the safety of the port and those working in it, or to look into agreeing to sell this
amount ...

Explosions
Red smoke over Lebanon on the evening of the explosion. Video from eyewitness livestream.

External video

 4K footage of Lebanon explosion shows Beirut Port blast

unfolding in slow motion, Al Arabiya

On the afternoon of 4 August 2020, a fire broke out in Warehouse 12, waterside at the Port of Beirut.
[37]
 Warehouse 12 was next to the grain silo; it stored the ammonium nitrate that had been
confiscated from MV Rhosus, alongside a "stash" of fireworks.[37][38][39] Around 17:55 local time (14:55
UTC), a team of nine firefighters and one paramedic was dispatched to fight the fire. [39] On arrival the
fire crew reported there was "something wrong" as the fire was huge and produced "a crazy
sound ..."[39]
The first explosion, at about 18:07 local time (15:07 UTC), sent up a cloud of smoke followed by
flashes of light from the stored fireworks;[37][40][41] the second, occurring approximately 33 to 35 seconds
later, was much more substantial. [42][43][44][45][41] It rocked central Beirut and sent a red-orange cloud into
the air, which was briefly surrounded by a white condensation cloud.[46][47] The orange-red colour of
the smoke was caused by nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of ammonium nitrate decomposition. [48] The
second explosion was felt in northern Israel and in Cyprus, 240 kilometers (150 miles) away. [49][50]
Despite inefficient transmission of the shock waves into the ground, [c] the United States Geological
Survey measured the event as a 3.3 local magnitude earthquake,[51][52][45] while the Jordan
Seismological Observatory reported that it was equivalent to a 4.5 local magnitude earthquake.
[53]
 Specialists from the University of Sheffield estimated that the explosion was one of the biggest
non-nuclear explosions in history.[54] The Beirut explosion was similar to explosions of large amounts
of ammonium nitrate in Tianjin, China, in 2015; or in Texas City, United States, in 1947.[55][56][d] By the
next morning, the main fire had been extinguished.[58]

Cause
There were warehouses in the port that stored explosives and chemicals including nitrates, common
components of fertilizers and explosives.[59] The General Director of General Security, Major
General Abbas Ibrahim, said ammonium nitrate confiscated from Rhosus had exploded.[60][24] The
2,750 tonnes (3,030 short tons) of ammonium nitrate was the equivalent to around 1,155 tonnes of
TNT (4,830 gigajoules).[61]
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International said that, according to attendees of a Higher
Defence Council briefing, the fire was ignited by workers welding a door at a warehouse. [62][63] A
former port worker said, "There were 30 to 40 nylon bags of fireworks inside warehouse 12 ..."[64] An
American diplomatic cable on 7 August said it "remains unclear ... whether fireworks, ammunition or
something else stored next to the ammonium nitrate might have been involved" in worsening the
warehouse fire and igniting the ammonium nitrate. [65] A port worker said Hangar 12 was used for
long-term storage, and that "those in charge only used to open the warehouse to stack inside it
materials confiscated upon judicial orders or perilous products," though he had not seen this to
include any armaments.[66]

Casualties
Following the explosions, 177 people were confirmed dead with an additional 30 missing, [67] and
more than 6,000 people were injured.[68] Hundreds of foreigners from at least 22 countries were
among the casualties.[g]
Nazar Najarian, the secretary-general of the Kataeb Party, died after suffering severe head injuries.
[111]
 French architect Jean-Marc Bonfils died after suffering serious injuries at his apartment in the
East Village. He had been live-streaming the fire at the warehouse on Facebook at the time.[112][113]