coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis: Beirut hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies and generators to keep their lights on.The cause of the blast, which sparked fires, overturned cars and blew out windows and doors, was not immediately known.Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, said it might have been caused by highly explosive material that was confiscated from a ship some time ago and stored at the port.
Local television channel LBC said the material was sodium nitrate.Witnesses reported seeing a strange orange-colored cloud over the site after the explosion.
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