Armenian Embassy in Lebanon expresses solidarity with families of Beirut port blast victims on anniversary
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The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Lebanon has expressed its solidarity with the families of those killed in the Beirut port explosion on the sixth anniversary of the tragedy.
In a Facebook post, the embassy said:
“On the sixth anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Lebanon honors the memory of the victims and stands in solidarity with their families and the Lebanese people.
May their souls rest in peace, and may Lebanon find justice and healing.”
The Beirut port explosion occurred on August 4, 2020, at 6:07 p.m. local time and became one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history.
The disaster was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for around six years in Warehouse No. 12 at the port without appropriate safety measures.
At least 218 people, including 13 Armenians, were killed, while more than 7,000 others sustained injuries of varying severity.
The shockwave destroyed a significant portion of the city’s housing stock, leaving around 300,000 people homeless.
The explosion caused an estimated $10-15 billion in economic and infrastructure damage. Its force was equivalent to an earthquake measuring between magnitude 3.3 and 3.5, while the blast and tremors were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus, about 240 kilometres from Beirut.