Massive Beirut Blast Kills More Than 70, Injures Thousands

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 70 people were killed and 3,000 injured, with bodies buried in the rubble, officials said. The blast struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany’s geosciences center GFZ, and it was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus, more than 180 miles across the Mediterranean. The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the coronavirus pandemic and a severe economic and financial crisis.