Dozens killed and thousands injured in a powerful explosion in Beirut (VIDEO)

Dozens killed and thousands injured in a powerful explosion in Beirut.

Lebanon is in three days of mourning today after a powerful explosion in the capital, Beirut, that killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000. The whole city was shaken by the explosion, which caused chaos and panic.

The port of Beirut was shaken by the first explosion. A second, much more powerful one soon followed, which many compared in scale to that of an atomic bomb. The blast was felt as far away as Cyprus, whose shores are about 200km from Beirut. The blast caused chaos and panic in the Lebanese capital and swept the port and surrounding neighborhoods.

The reason for the powerful explosion was a confiscated load of ammonium nitrate. 2,700 tonnes of this substance have been stored for 6 years in a port warehouse. At the epicenter of the explosion, the view is apocalyptic.

"I saw a war, I filmed a war. In 2006, I saw her in southern Lebanon. It took 30 days for the same destruction. We only have it now after one explosion. It's a disaster, I've never seen anything like it, "said director Philip Aractingi.

Commercial containers look like crushed cans, cars and trucks are charred, and debris from destroyed buildings is scattered on the ground. The Lebanese prime minister has promised that those responsible for the crash will be punished. Efforts are still underway to rescue the wounded and search for the dead under the rubble. Hospitals in Beirut, already overcrowded by the coronavirus pandemic, are exhausted by the thousands of victims.

The building of the Bulgarian embassy in Beirut was also damaged by the blast, but fortunately no one was injured.

"The explosion was after the embassy's working hours. I was outside of it, but there are colleagues who live there. I, like everyone, felt it very strongly ", explained for NOVA the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Beirut Boyan Velev.

The incident comes at a time when Lebanon is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. The economy is collapsing, and protests against the government have been rampant for months.