Beirut Blast

Photo: AP/Hussein Malla

It is still too early to estimate the extent and cost of the damage. Large sections of the Port of Beirut and its infrastructure were destroyed, including the silos that contained most of Beirut's grain reserves. The blast also caused damage to several nearby residential neighborhoods near and affected five major hospitals. A number of government buildings were also damaged. The affected neighborhoods include around 100 heritage buildings dating from the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, some of which are classified, which have been severely damaged. The preliminary estimate of the number of damaged buildings are as follows:

Number of buildings totally destroyed: 20-30
Major collapse of structural walls and roofs of buildings rendered uninhabitable: 800-900
Partial demolition of homes rendered uninhabitable: 2,300-2,500
Serious damage to housing structures: 3,000
Limited damage: 15,000-18,000
Number of buildings affected by broken windows: 18,000-20,000
Total number of buildings affected: 39,000-40,000
Estimated number of homes affected: 200,000

Stay safe, we'll get through this together.