>>> WE’VE GOT BREAKING NEWS FROM
BEIRUT, LEBANON, AFTER A PAIR OF
TERRIFYING EXPLOSIONS.
THE COUNTRY’S HEALTH MINISTER
SAID JUST MINUTES AGO THAT THE
BLAST KILLED AT LEAST 50 PEOPLE
AND HURT AT LEAST 3,000.
THE VIDEO OF THESE EXPLOSIONS
HAT ASTOUNDED PEOPLE AROUND THE
WORLD.
WE’RE TOLD THE DAMAGE EXTENDS
FOR MILES AROUND THE BLAST.
NBC CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
RICHARD ENGEL IS IN LONDON WITH
DEVELOPMENTS.
YOU KNOW BEIRUT AND YOU KNOW
THIS AREA VERY, VERY WELL.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL US WHAT YOU
KNOW ABOUT THIS EXPLOSION, BUT
ALSO THE LOCATION AND WHY THE
CASUALTY NUMBER IS SO HIGH.
>> Reporter: WELL, THE CASUALTY
NUMBER COULD GO UP IF YOU LOOK
AT THE VIDEO AND THERE’S
MULTIPLE ANGLES OF THIS VIDEO,
IT WAS RIGHT AT THE PORT WHICH
IS IN CENTER OF BEIRUT, AS YOU
MENTIONED, I LIVED THERE NOT
VERY FAR FROM HERE FOR SEVERAL
YEARS AND WHAT HAPPENED TODAY,
AROUND 6:00 LOCAL TIME WAS
APPARENTLY A CHEMICAL EXPLOSION,
THAT’S WHAT LEBANESE OFFICIALS
ARE NOW SAYING, THEY STILL WANT
TO INVESTIGATE, BUT SEVERAL
OFFICIALS BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS
A STORAGE, SEVERAL TONS OF
NITRATES THAT EXPLODED
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
FIRST, THERE WAS A FIRE AT THE
PORT AND THAT FIRE COULD BE SEEN
ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
THAT’S WHY PEOPLE WERE FILMING
SOME OF THEM FROM THEIR
BALCONIES LOOKING AT THIS
UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE WITH A PLUME
OF SMOKE GOING UP AND SPARKS
COMING OUT OF THE CENTER OF THE
FIRE, INITIAL REPORTS THAT THIS
MAY HAVE BEEN A FIREWORKS
STORAGE FACILITY, LEBANESE FIRMS
SAY THIS WAS NO FIREWORK
ACCIDENT.
AS THE INITIAL FIRE WAS BURNING,
SEPTEMBER OFF THESE TONS AND
TONS OF NITRATES THAT SENT A
SHOCK WAVE, ROLLING ACROSS THE
CITY, CAUSING SIGNIFICANCE
DAMAGE AND CAUSED THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE TO BE INJURTD.
3,000 INJURED BUT THOSE NUMBERS
COULD GO UP AS THE RESCUE
EFFORTS ARE STILL ONGOING, IN
FACT, THE RED CROSS HAS CALLED
FOR ALL AMBULANCES ALL AROUND
THE COUNTRY TO COME TO BEIRUT TO
TRY TO RESCUE THE WOUNDED.
THEY’VE CALLED ON PEOPLE TO
DONATE ALL TYPES OF BLOOD THE
PRIME MINISTER JUST CAME OUT AND
SAID THAT FRIENDLY NATIONS
SHOULD COME GUARDFORWARD WITH AI
THAT LEBANON NEEDS AID RIGHT
NOW, THE COUNTRY IS GOING
THROUGH AN ECONOMIC CRISIS, A
POWER CRISIS, AND NOW THIS
EXPLOSION THAT ROLLED THROUGH
THE CITY.
PEOPLE JUST DIDN’T HEAR IT AND
FEEL IT IN BEIRUT, PEOPLE WERE
KNOCKED OFF THEIR FEET IN THE
MOUNTAINS THAT SURROUND BEIRUT,
PEOPLE COULD SEE AND HEAR THE
EXPLOSION IN CYPRUS, 150 MILES
AWAY, AND I JUST SPOKE TO A
FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE IN BEIRUT A
FEW MINUTES AGO HE HAS NO
WINDOWS, HE SAID BASICALLY
NOBODY IN BEIRUT HAS WINDOWS
RIGHT NOW, AND NOT ONLY ARE THEY
FRIGHTENED NOW SITTING IN THE
DARK BECAUSE OF THE FREQUENT
POWER CUTS BUT THEY’RE TRYING TO
PUT PLASTIC OVER THEIR WINDOWS,
BOARDS OVER THEIR WINDOWS
BECAUSE THERE’S CHEMICAL SMELL
IN THE AIR AND THEY’RE CONCERNED
THAT THE CHEMICALS BE HARMFUL TO
THEM IF THEY BREATHE THEM IN,
THESE CHEMICAL MATERIALS, THESE
EXPLOSIVE TERLS HAD BEEN AT THE
PORT FOR SEVERAL YEARS, THEY HAD
BEEN THERE FOR SIX YEARS AT
LEAST, AND THERE SHOULD BE
INVESTIGATIONS LAUNCHED AS TO
WHY THIS HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WAS
KEPT AT THE PORT RIGHT IN THE
CENTER OF THE CAPITAL CITY.
>> GIVEN THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
IN THAT COUNTRY AND THAT CITY,
GIVEN THE GOVERNMENTAL
INSTABILITY, UNDERSTANDING WHY
THEY’RE ASKING FOR HELP UNDER
ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUT GIVEN
THOSE NEGATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES,
WHAT’S THE INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE,
RICHARD, TO RESPOND WHAT REALLY
IS NOT JUST AN EXPLOSION IT’S AS
YOU DESCRIBED MULTIPLE PROBLEMS
RESULTING FROM IT?
>> Reporter: BEIRUT WAS ON ITS
KNEES FOR THE LAST SEVERAL
MONTHS, THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN IN
A STATE OF NEAR COLLAPSE, THE
CURRENCY HAS COLLAPSED, THERE
HAVE BEEN RUNS ON THE BANKS,
PEOPLE’S SALARIES HAVE BEEN
REDUCED TO ALMOST NOTHING,
PEOPLE’S SAVINGS HAVE BEEN WIPED
OUT, POWER SHORTAGES ALWAYS AN
ISSUE IN BEIRUT HAVE BECOME
SYSTEMIC WITH THE POWER OUT
EIGHT, TEN HOURS A DAY, THE
GENERATOR COST -- WHEN YOU LIVE
IN BEIRUT, YOU HAD TO PAY EXTRA
SO WHEN THE POWER DID GO OUT YOU
COULD SUPPLEMENT IT WITH A
GENERATOR USUALLY A COMMUNAL
GENERATOR FOR THE BUILDING OR
EVERYBODY FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
NOW THEY’RE USING THOSE
GENERATORS SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE
ARE SPENDING THEIR ENTIRE
SALARIES JUST XR AUXILLARY
GENERATOR PROBLEM.
ON TOP OF THAT YOU HAVE A
SITUATION THIS MYSTERIOUS
EXPLOSION THAT WIPES OUT A PART
OF CENTRAL BEIRUT AND IS FELT
ALL ACROSS THE SURROUNDING AREA.
IF YOU’RE BEIRUT TONIGHT AND
YOUR SAVINGS ARE GONE AND NOW
YOU’RE TRYING TO TAPE UP YOUR
WINDOW BECAUSE YOU’RE AFRAID OF
THE CHEMICAL SMELL COMING IN AND