The two explosions that ripped through Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, on Tuesday evening killed more than 100 people and wounded thousands of others. The second, much larger blast devastated a wide area, knocking people down, overturning cars and enveloping much of the central city in dust and smoke. Windows miles away were blown out, leaving streets looking like they had been “cobbled in glass,” according to a resident.

The injured, who numbered more than 4,000, were soon streaming into local hospitals. Many arrived on foot or carried by others, with the streets impassable to cars and ambulance services overwhelmed. The damage to St. George Hospital, one of the city’s biggest, was so severe that it had to shut down and send patients elsewhere. “Every floor of the hospital is damaged,” said Dr. Peter Noun, its chief of pediatric hematology and oncology. “I didn’t see this even during the war. It’s a catastrophe.”

The cause appeared to be the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizer and bombs. Officials said it had been stored in a port warehouse since 2014, when it was confiscated from a cargo ship. As of Tuesday night, the possibility of a deliberate attack had not been ruled out, but Prime Minister Hassan Diab hinted that neglect had led to the blast. please sign this to ensure that Gift of the givers will help those who were injured or lost their homes.