Thousands of people were injured in Beirut Tuesday after a massive explosion in the city’s port warehouse district rippled throughout the Lebanese capital, flattening buildings, blowing out windows, and causing widespread devastation.
Social media was flooded with dramatic videos of a mushroom cloud enveloping the area, followed by apocalyptic scenes of the aftermath that seemed to stretch for miles. According to The New York Times, Beirut’s governor, Marwan Abboud, could not immediately identify the cause of the blast. Officials are pointing to a stockpile of ammonium nitrate, an explosive compound, that was being stored in a warehouse.