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EXPLOSION IN BEIRUT

Lebanese president asks Russia for satellite images taken on day of Beirut port blast

On August 4, 2020, a powerful explosion rocked the Lebanese capital's port, the shockwave destroyed and damaged thousands of buildings

BEIRUT, October 29. /TASS/. Lebanese President Michel Aoun has officially asked Russia for satellite images taken on the day when an explosion hit the Beirut port in August 2020, Lebanon's presidential office said in a statement on Twitter on Friday.

"President Aoun has officially asked the Russian ambassador to inform his government about Lebanon's wish to receive satellite images taken on the day of the Beirut port blast," the statement reads.

On August 4, 2020, a powerful explosion rocked the Lebanese capital's port, estimated to have been equivalent to 1,500 tonnes of TNT. The shockwave destroyed and damaged thousands of buildings in the city and beyond, killing 219 people and leaving 6,500 injured. More than 300,000 people lost their homes. According to the Lebanese Interior Ministry, the explosion occurred after a warehouse containing over 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate caught fire during welding work.

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