“A lot of damage has been done to the structure of the building at a time when the dollar in Lebanon is so high that I don’t know how we will afford to buy new glass for the skylights, the windows and the exit doors,” added Arida. Lebanon's General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim said the "highly explosive material" had been confiscated years earlier and stored in the warehouse, just minutes' walk from Beirut's shopping and nightlife districts. Initially, Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported that a fire broke out near the Beirut Port. Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. One resident said the scenes looked "like an apocalypse. "The port is the primary entry point for most of Lebanon's imports, CNN's Wedeman said. It is like an apocalypse. ""My thoughts are with the people of #Lebanon and with the families of the victims of the tragic #BeirutBlast," President of the European Council Charles Michel said in a tweet. Major art galleries, including Marfa Gallery, located close to Beirut’s Port, and Galerie Tanit were completely destroyed. A massive explosion ripped through central Beirut on Tuesday, killing dozens of people, injuring thousands and blowing out windows in buildings across the city. Now flying debris from the explosion have punched holes into the hotel’s furniture, blasted through its walls and strewn shards of glass in all directions. "In my life I haven't seen destruction on this scale," Abboud said.

"At least 10 firefighters are missing, according to the city's governor Marwan Abboud, who said the scene reminded him of "Hiroshima and Nagasaki." "The blast comes at a tense time in Lebanon. A massive mushroom cloud explosion has rocked Lebanon’s capital city Beirut. “This is the strongest explosion I have ever witnessed,” says the museum’s director Zeina Arida who was at the museum when the explosion hit. French President Emmanuel Macron said "rescue and aid" were on the way to Lebanon, while expressing solidarity with the "Lebanese people after the explosion that caused so many casualties and so much damage tonight in Beirut.

"The United States Ambassador in Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, expressed "heartfelt sympathies" to the victims and their families after "having witnessed the horrific explosions at the Port," she said in a statement shared on Twitter. He was in his office when the explosion happened. As a subscriber, you will also get live reports from leading art fairs and events, such as the Venice Biennale, plus special offers from The Art Newspaper.You can remove yourself from the list at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe" link in the newsletter.By using The Art Newspaper website you agree to our use of cookies as described in this Beirut's Sursock museum suffered extensive damage from the explosionPhoto: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock MuseumPhoto: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock MuseumSeveral artworks at the museum have been damaged, including a portrait of the institution’s namesake Nicolas SursockPhoto: Marie Nour Hechaime, curator at Sursock Museum Two powerful explosions at the Port of Beirut on early Tuesday evening left more than 70 people dead and over 4,000 injured. The officials, who declined to be identified so they could speak freely, said they don't know what the President is talking about. “It will take a long time to rebuild the idea of an art fair in people’s minds after this.” D’Hauteville is now in the midst of launching Middle Eastern Art Platform (MEAP) in Paris this November during Paris Photo. "We mourn each loss from this terrible tragedy alongside the Lebanese people," the US Ambassador added.Prime Minister Diab described the explosion as a "catastrophe" in his televised statement. The death toll from the blast is likely to continue to climb as more bodies are pulled from the wreckage. "There are many people missing until now," Hasan said. The Secretary-General of the Kataeb political Party, Nazar Najarian, died after being injured in the explosion, NNA reported. Hundreds of people have been reported missing.Rescue workers search for missing people at the site of the explosion.A man whose legs were injured because of the explosion looks at a destroyed house on Friday.A Russian rescue worker and dog search the Beirut port on Friday.Lebanese soldiers stand guard in front of destroyed ships Thursday.Christelle Helou hugs the coffin of her cousin Nicole in Sarba, Lebanon, on Thursday.A person hugs French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the Gemmayzeh neighborhood in Beirut on Thursday. Two powerful explosions at the Port of Beirut on early Tuesday evening left more than 70 people dead and over 4,000 injured. “We barely had the time to close the open vitrines to protect the artworks and are now in the hospital to be with our colleague.” The Sursock Museum, once the centre of Beirut’s cultural life in the 1960s and which was reopened in 2015 following a costly restoration, was severely damaged. United States President Donald Trump offered sympathy and assistance to the people of Lebanon, referring to the incident as a "terrible attack."
The blast at Beirut's port on Aug. 4 left dozens dead and thousands of people injured and homeless.
The glass just broke. It was a bomb of some kind," he told reporters at the White House.But three US Defense Department officials told CNN that as of Tuesday night there was no indication the explosion was an attack. We are facing a real catastrophe and need time to assess the extent of damages. Some patients were unconscious. The country is also in the midst of an economic meltdown, with ballooning unemployment, a tanking currency and poverty rates soaring above 50%.Beirut's hospitals Tuesday reflected the chaos in the city as doctors conducted triage on dozens of wounded people. The US Embassy in Beirut urged those in the area of the explosion to "stay indoors and wear masks if available" due to reports of toxic gases released from the blast. At least 78 people are known to have died and a further 4,000 wounded, Hamad Hasan, the country's health minister said, according to Reuters.