A warehouse explosion on August 4 in Beirut, Lebanon, reportedly catalyzed by 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, killed more than 100 of the city’s residents and wounded thousands more.
In the wake of the harrowing disaster, The Guardian‘s Martin Chulov reports that the Lebanese capital’s “whole nightclub district [has been] virtually wiped out.” Mainstay venues including The Gärten, The Ballroom Blitz, The Grand Factory, AHM as well as B018 were all in close proximity to the port’s explosion and have suffered devastating damages. In speaking to Mixmag, Moe Choucair, founder of The Ballroom Blitz, shared his heartbreaking account of the explosion and its impact going forward, explaining:
“The explosion destroyed Beirut and shook the entire country. There are thousands injured, more than a hundred dead and the numbers are still going up by the minute. We’ve stopped thinking as a club and started thinking as a team of individuals pooling ideas to try and help in the most efficient way we can think of. Our establishment is the least of our concern right now because of the huge impact and urgency to react to this catastrophe.
A list of resources to assist those in Beirut impacted by the tragedy can be found here.
H/T: Mixmag
Featured image: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images
