٠٠:٠٢:١٩Images from Beirut's neighbourhoods captured on Monday paint a stark image of destruction that remains in the city close to one year since a catastrophic explosion took place on August 4, 2020.
The twin explosions at the city's port left 218 dead, injured over 7,500, and left around 300,000 people homeless. The second much larger explosion is believed to have been one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
"I was sitting at the window as the first explosion happened, I was filming and sending videos to my friends to tell them that there had been an explosion," said a resident, "When the big explosion happened, it was very powerful, and it threw me from the window to the stairs."
"The whole house was destroyed, and everything was broken, however, the walls remain intact but all the rest was destroyed," he added, before explaining that some 'associations' had come to help rebuild, although others only came to take credit.
According to an estimate by the President of the Lebanese Contractors' Syndicate, Maroun El-Helou, 50 percent of buildings affected by the blast have been repaired to date.
The UN is currently developing a 12-month Emergency Response Plan, which hopes to address the humanitarian needs of residents affected by the ongoing crisis.
A number of affected families, firefighters, and organisations have also sent a letter to the UN Human Rights commission in June 2021 with a plea to launch an investigation into the blast.
The explosion was triggered after a fire at a warehouse containing some 2,750 tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate confiscated from a cargo ship, but a government investigation into the exact causes of the incident is still ongoing.
Lebanon: Scars remain in Beirut as rebuilding goes on 1 year after port blast
Images from Beirut's neighbourhoods captured on Monday paint a stark image of destruction that remains in the city close to one year since a catastrophic explosion took place on August 4, 2020.
The twin explosions at the city's port left 218 dead, injured over 7,500, and left around 300,000 people homeless. The second much larger explosion is believed to have been one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
"I was sitting at the window as the first explosion happened, I was filming and sending videos to my friends to tell them that there had been an explosion," said a resident, "When the big explosion happened, it was very powerful, and it threw me from the window to the stairs."
"The whole house was destroyed, and everything was broken, however, the walls remain intact but all the rest was destroyed," he added, before explaining that some 'associations' had come to help rebuild, although others only came to take credit.
According to an estimate by the President of the Lebanese Contractors' Syndicate, Maroun El-Helou, 50 percent of buildings affected by the blast have been repaired to date.
The UN is currently developing a 12-month Emergency Response Plan, which hopes to address the humanitarian needs of residents affected by the ongoing crisis.
A number of affected families, firefighters, and organisations have also sent a letter to the UN Human Rights commission in June 2021 with a plea to launch an investigation into the blast.
The explosion was triggered after a fire at a warehouse containing some 2,750 tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate confiscated from a cargo ship, but a government investigation into the exact causes of the incident is still ongoing.
Images from Beirut's neighbourhoods captured on Monday paint a stark image of destruction that remains in the city close to one year since a catastrophic explosion took place on August 4, 2020.
The twin explosions at the city's port left 218 dead, injured over 7,500, and left around 300,000 people homeless. The second much larger explosion is believed to have been one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
"I was sitting at the window as the first explosion happened, I was filming and sending videos to my friends to tell them that there had been an explosion," said a resident, "When the big explosion happened, it was very powerful, and it threw me from the window to the stairs."
"The whole house was destroyed, and everything was broken, however, the walls remain intact but all the rest was destroyed," he added, before explaining that some 'associations' had come to help rebuild, although others only came to take credit.
According to an estimate by the President of the Lebanese Contractors' Syndicate, Maroun El-Helou, 50 percent of buildings affected by the blast have been repaired to date.
The UN is currently developing a 12-month Emergency Response Plan, which hopes to address the humanitarian needs of residents affected by the ongoing crisis.
A number of affected families, firefighters, and organisations have also sent a letter to the UN Human Rights commission in June 2021 with a plea to launch an investigation into the blast.
The explosion was triggered after a fire at a warehouse containing some 2,750 tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate confiscated from a cargo ship, but a government investigation into the exact causes of the incident is still ongoing.