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Beirut Explosion Rocks Lebanon's Capital City. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 05, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Huge explosions rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beirut is a city devastated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a catastrophe.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the words of the Lebanese American poet Gibran Khalil Gibran, "Pity the nation."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: This hour, what more must Lebanon endure?
What more can Lebanon endure?
After civil war, decades of corruption and economic calamity, now a blast unlike any other. The Lebanese forced to suffer tragedy after catastrophe
on, it seems, an endless repeat.
I'm Becky Anderson. Tonight, we are connecting a world, transfixed by disaster in Beirut. A blast so powerful, it leveled huge swaths of the
world capital in an instant. Registered as a magnitude 3.3 earthquake, it sent shock waves hundreds of kilometers away.
The death toll from that massive explosion in Beirut stands at 100 and that number will surely rise. Hundreds of people remain missing today. At least
4,000 are wounded, with hospitals among the buildings destroyed or severely damaged. Treating the injured is proving extremely difficult.
Shell-shocked residents of Beirut are trying just to make sense of it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Here is what it looks like today, just unbelievable destruction.
The cause of the blast is now coming into focus. The government says more than 2,700 metric tons of ammonium nitrate were stored at a port warehouse.
As we look again at those mind numbing pictures, big questions today are how did that highly explosive material detonate?
And perhaps just as important, why was something so dangerous stored in a busy downtown section of a major city?
The answer could tie into some of the thorniest issues facing Lebanon, a country struggling through years of government corruption, a long-term
financial crisis, chronic food shortages and stark divisions between the wealthy and the poor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And not to forget there is also a pandemic to deal with. We will tackle all of that in the next two hours. Let me start with Ben Wedeman,
who has been reporting from Beirut, from the early hours of this catastrophe. He joins us now from the very -- very close to the site of the
blast -- Ben.
WEDEMAN: Yes, hello, Becky. We are just about half a kilometer, maybe a bit more from the site of that blast. And we're in one of the worst
affected areas.
Behind me is the Lebanese, the state power company, which has never really functioned very well. Just a couple of weeks ago, Beirut was going through
20-hour power cuts but that problem has faded in the background as people in this area try to clean up, clear away the rubble.
According to the governor of Beirut, more than 300,000 people in this city have been made homeless from that explosion and many of them in this area
itself. We have seen volunteers helping families clear their belongings.
The apartments over there, they were massively damaged by the explosion. And for Lebanese, coming to terms with this latest disaster is proving
difficult.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): No one knows yet how many people died in Tuesday's blast in Beirut. The destruction was so extensive, the shock wave felt
across the city.
Emergency services are so overwhelmed it was up to whoever could help to provide a bit of comfort to the injured. Open lots turned into field
hospitals.
[10:05:00]
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The blast happened just after 6:00 in the evening with what started as a fire in a port warehouse, culminating with an
explosion the likes of which war-scarred Lebanon has never seen.
"The whole house collapsed upon us," this woman says.
In an instant lives were lost and livelihoods destroyed. Michel Haibey (ph) has come to see the wreckage of what was his electrical goods store.
"Forty years," says Michel (ph), "war; we have seen woes of every kind but not like this. As if the economic crisis, coronavirus, the revolution were
not enough, this tops them all."
Life was already a struggle in Lebanon with its economy in freefall and coronavirus on the rise. And now this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got here an hour ago and as you can see, it is completely and utterly destroyed. We have been open since October and we
have been fighting every month with different circumstances, economic situation that -- it's a catastrophe. What's happening in Lebanon is
catastrophic right now.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): In the words of the Lebanese American poet, Gibran Khalil Gibran, "Pity the nation."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, at present it is unclear exactly what happened, although the focus of any investigation will now be ammonium nitrate and tons --
thousands of tons of it stored in a warehouse close or on the port. Well, 24 hours after the explosion, emotions are running high, as Ben reported.
From shock and sadness to resentment and anger, the people of this country are no strangers to destruction. A quick glimpse at the nation's history
will confirm that. But listen to what some people there are saying about how this moment was different.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILIPPE ARACTINGI, FILM DIRECTOR: We have seen war. I filmed war. I went to (INAUDIBLE) in 2006, I went to the south Lebanon to see this. It took 30
days to do the same destruction. We had it in one explosion. It is a catastrophe I have never seen something like that.
KARL DAGHER, WITNESS: Honestly we're just sifting through the rumors, hearing all the rumors and trying to understand what happened, because
there was lots of confusion, lots of rage that this could happen.
With everything that's happening in the country, the cherry on top, there comes massive negligence or -- we don't know what it is -- or an act of
terror. We don't really understand.
But it's just -- and on top of all that, you have to worry about wearing your face mask because you don't want to get coronavirus in the hospital
for treating a small wound. So I think outrage would be the correct word (INAUDIBLE) feeling right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the reach of the explosion was absolutely colossal. The city's governor says at least 300,000 people have been displaced by the
catastrophe. The blast had a radius of at least 9 kilometers but it was felt as far as Cyprus, some 240 kilometers west of Beirut. And homes as far
as 10 kilometers away suffered damage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Rima Maktabi works for Al-Arabiya News and she lives in Beirut. Take a look at the devastating damage caused to her home. She says this,
these images that you're looking at here, is an area where her nieces and nephew usually play. Thankfully they left just before the explosion
occurred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Rima was also a journalist here at CNN not too long ago. She joins us now from her home in Beirut.
And our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Beirut today, a city --
RIMA MAKTABI, JOURNALIST: Thank you.
ANDERSON: -- shaken to its core.
How are people coping?
MAKTABI: Very hard. The Lebanese are resilient. They have been through so many wars. They've been through a lot of crises, economic and political but
this is different from any other crisis this country has witnessed.
We have lost our homes, we have lost our loved ones and our dreams. Most of us here have worked so hard to be in those homes and flats. And people own
-- all around me, they're all gone in just two seconds with no explanation and not one single minister resigned or any investigation that has been
launched or any other info about what has happened really.
ANDERSON: Yes. Rima, I know you're recording this interview on your phone. I don't know if you can open up and give us a sense of your home. Certainly
we're looking at images and these are awful.
[10:10:00]
ANDERSON: And we're so pleased that your nieces and nephew weren't in the room when this happened.
What does Lebanon need right now?
MAKTABI: So, Becky, this is the site of the explosion. It's just 1 kilometer away. I don't know if it's easy to see it via the phone. And
there are still fumes going from that location, somewhere around the buildings and -- and the videos -- are horrific. It's just like every other
home around me, (INAUDIBLE) around Beirut.
We have been cleaning and trying to just remove the rubble. The ceilings have blown out and the doors (INAUDIBLE) fell onto the door and she has
been taken to the hospital in Bekaa Valley, which is not usually what we go to. The doors have come out. And most of the doors are now in the
(INAUDIBLE) in this here.
There are no elevators. The water pipes have exploded and that's just what's happened with every other home around me here. And simply they have
become homes that you cannot live in.
And you -- we had to sleep at our aunt's. And one of the officials here said about 300,000 Lebanese have become homeless. And that's no
exaggeration. We feel despair and, worst of all, Becky, is that we don't have hope that this state will be able to tell us much or even solve our
issues in (INAUDIBLE).
The country is nearly a failed state and has been for so many months now. This has made things worse for all of the Lebanese.
ANDERSON: And Rima, it is still unclear what exactly caused the explosion. Lebanon's prime minister said the focus is a stash of explosive ammonium
nitrate stored at a warehouse and the Lebanese president earlier promised transparency and accountability for the blast.
I want our viewers to have a listen to exactly what he said. Have a listen yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHEL AOUN, LEBANESE PRESIDENT (through translator): To all of the Lebanese people, we are determined to proceed with the investigations and
to uncover the circumstances of what happened as quickly as possible and to hold accountable those responsible and inflict on them the most severe
punishment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As a Lebanese, Rima, what is your reaction to those words?
MAKTABI: I have fatigue. I have lived throughout war. My father was assassinated in 1980. I grew up without a father and they stole my
childhood memories. We didn't have a happy childhood.
Then came the rebuilding of Beirut. We had a dream. They just killed our dreams. I just lost my home. I nearly lost my mom and many other people
lost loved ones.
What more can you give a country?
This is a country that has witnessed so many wars and had witnessed so many corrupt governments. That's how I feel. I feel sad beyond description. I
feel angry and I just wonder why the Lebanese have been sedated.
I have been here for a few weeks. The collapse of the Lebanese lead, Lebanese towns, is horrendous. Many families can barely make ends meet. And
yet, the silence among the Lebanese, I don't know how we're going to go forward.
And the problem, Becky, is that we see that it's a rotten system now. The medical system that we had used to be one of the best. But with the
economic crisis it's going down the drain. And everything else, the banking system.
You go into the streets there are no traffic lights. You go to the hospitals now, half of them are blown out or they can't accommodate the
Lebanese. I just feel very angry and very exhausted by Lebanon.
It's my country, I love this country. I have given everything -- I worked abroad and I used to send every penny to Lebanon to help the family, to
help the economy of this country. And now I ask, what more can this country give me other than take away loved ones and loved things?
ANDERSON: Well, we hear your words, Rima. I just wonder what you believe Lebanon needs next.
What's your message to those watching this today?
MAKTABI: Stop the corruption. Have a proper government. Whether this explosion was negligence or an attack or I don't know, a suicidal bomb or
whatever it was, the core of the issue is that there were.
[10:15:00]
MAKTABI: Those explosive material there in the warehouse that shouldn't have been there and this is because of the failed system that we have. It's
time we have a proper Lebanese state that looks after its citizens and not a sectarian system or a system of corruption.
ANDERSON: As I say, our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and the people of Beirut today. Rima, thank you very much indeed for joining
us.
Rima Maktabi, describing the anguish, the horror, the sadness and the outrage that so many Lebanese feel today.
Well, the images coming out of this blast are just devastating. Our digital colleagues have pulled together scenes from the explosion in Beirut. Head
to cnn.com to see the latest from the aftermath of the blast.
Alongside the lives lost, there is hope. Lebanese photojournalist Bilal Jawich captured this powerful image of three tiny newborn babies being
cradled by a nurse. This image was taken just after the explosion yesterday evening. She was calling for help in the midst of an overwhelming
situation.
The photo was taken in the maternity ward at the St. George Hospital, also known as Al-Roum Hospital. The photographer tells CNN, the nurse was
astonishingly calm with the dead and wounded just feet away from her.
We're taking a short break. Back after this.
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[10:20:00]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARWAN ABBOUD, BEIRUT GOVERNOR (through translator): An explosion that destroyed half of Beirut. As if it was an atomic bomb that dropped in the
middle of Beirut. It's a great disaster, a setback that Beirut has not known in the heart of the civil war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was the governor of Beirut, describing Tuesday's deadly explosion. He compared it to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in
Japan.
Well, three officials from the U.S. Department of Defense say there's no indication that the explosion was an attack. This despite president Donald
Trump referring to it as quote, "a terrible attack."
One official tells CNN, if it had been, the U.S. would have deployed troops and assets to the region and that hasn't happened so far. Lebanon has not
called the explosion an attack, either. When President Trump was asked if the blast could have been an accident, he doubled down on his claims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: You called this an attack.
Are you confident that this was an attack and not an accident?
TRUMP: Well, it would seem like it, based on the explosion. I met with some of our great generals and they just seemed to feel that it was. This
was not a -- some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. This was a -- seems to be, according to them, they would know better than I would --
but they seemed to think it was a attack. It was a bomb of some kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, senior international correspondent Sam Kiley has been covering Lebanon for years. He joins us now from Suffolk in England with a
closer look at what exactly happened.
And Sam, firstly, is there any evidence to support what Mr. Trump has suggested?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, most experts that I have spoken to -- and the most recent is Chris Hunter, who
is a fellow of the Royal Institute of Explosive Engineers and a current bomb disposal operator, having served with the British special forces, so
somebody who should know -- he's pretty convinced after examining videos from the location that this is, in large part, effectively an industrial
accident. This is how he described the early stages of the detonations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS HUNTER, BOMB DISPOSAL OPERATOR: The first event, if you like, the gray clouds that are coming up, the wisp of clouds, at the base of it a
fire. You can see a series of sparks and flashes. And that's consistent with what we call low explosives, something like fireworks, something like
ammunition that you would put in rifles and handguns, that sort of thing, cooking off.
So it suggests to me that a fire had started. And then the -- whatever was being stored there, something like fireworks or gunpowder or propellants or
ammunition, started to cook off.
And if it's in shipping containers, what you actually get is effectively a giant pipe bomb when heat is introduced to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: Now the giant pipe bomb was by no means the end of the matter. What Chris went on to describe is what happened next. The pipe bomb,
effectively, in his view, was the detonator for this 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored in the port.
It takes a lot of energy, a lot of heat to get ammonium nitrate to detonate as an explosive all at once. So it would have needed this accident or this
intentional fire to create what Mr. Hunter is convinced anyway is a giant accident, causing a shock wave to travel at a speed greater than sound.
The amount of fertilizer that did explode would be consistent with that catastrophic scene we have seen now in aerial photographs from Beirut over
a vast area being felt as we have heard as far away as Cyprus.
ANDERSON: And where did this ammonium nitrate come from?
And what was it doing there?
KILEY: Well, this really speaks to the failure, effectively, of the Lebanese state that we have seen begin to collapse, certainly obviously
during the civil war. But in the post civil war dispensation, the communitarian system of carefully negotiated sectarian political deals,
opening up the opportunities for inefficiencies and corruption have resulted, for example, in a ship carrying this huge amount of ammonium
nitrate.
[10:25:00]
KILEY: We understand from Georgia on its way to Mozambique. It docked in 2013, reportedly in Beirut. And the ammonium nitrate was seized, due to a
commercial dispute in the location and then warehoused.
And then nobody took a decision inside Lebanon about that to do with this stuff. It isn't immediately dangerous but it's not the sort of chemical you
want sitting around for six or seven years, Becky.
ANDERSON: The president has said that there will be a thorough investigation. Those who are responsible will be held accountable. I have
heard many other people today calling for an international criminal investigation. At this point, the Lebanese want to see someone held
accountable or a body held accountable for this.
How likely will that be?
KILEY: It is conceivable that this could be a galvanizing moment for all of the different political parties and interest groups to react as one to
this historic moment and admit that there is a systemic failure because, ultimately, yes, there will be individuals who fail to act, fail to clear
the docks and the port warehouses of this huge stockpile of dangerous chemicals.
Someone decided to store fireworks or ammunition nearby. These are localized mistakes.
But what the Lebanese population have been saying -- and you have been there and you have reported on it, Becky -- they have been saying for many
months, even during the coronavirus but before it, they want systemic change.
And really I think this is the final systemic collapse. It is a structural mess that has gone on for many years, it would seem, over a pile of -- a
stockpile of chemicals that has resulted in this catastrophe.
But ultimately it will be up to the various factions within Lebanon to rise above their factional interests in the interests of a united Lebanon. And
that's something that hasn't been seen for decades, frankly if ever.
ANDERSON: As you speak, the pictures that we look at are from the scene today in the aftermath and these are, quite frankly, can only be described
as oftentimes as apocalyptic, remarkable stuff. Sam, thank you.
I want to share another extraordinary moment with you as the explosion interrupted a televised Catholic mass. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Parishioners at the church were treated for injuries from the falling debris after those few terrifying seconds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, there is understandably an outpouring of support for Lebanon from countries in this region. We are in here, around the Middle
East and far beyond. What's being done to get help to where it is needed most as quickly as possible is up next.
And in the wake of disaster, aid for Lebanon has been offered by an unlikely ally, Israel. How they're helping their neighborhoods to the
north.
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[10:30:00]
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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
Lebanon trying to assess the full extent of the damage after a massive explosion rocked Beirut. At least 100 people were killed. The health
ministry experts the numbers to tragically rise because hundreds of people are missing; 4,000 others were wounded and are now overwhelming hospitals.
The blast has been linked to thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that was being stored at a warehouse near the city's port, close to what are busy,
populated areas, leaving at least 300,000 people now displaced. Lebanon's president is promising to figure out the exact cause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AOUN (through translator): There are no words to describe the catastrophe that happened last night in Beirut that turned the city into a disaster
area. This is a time for sadness for our martyrs, our wounded and our missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Beirut's governor has said that the blast caused up to $5 billion worth of damage. This is a major hit to a country steeped in a
series of economic crises on top of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Well, support is pouring in from around the globe. The European Union sending more than 100 specialized firefighters as well as assets like
vehicles, rescue dogs and equipment. It has also activated its satellite mapping system to help authorities assess the damage.
And the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is set to visit on Thursday in a show of solidarity for the country.
Well, the United Arab Emirates is the first to offer help. The ruler ordered lifesaving medical and humanitarian supplies to be sent today. The
flight carrying the aid is a donation from the government of the UAE.
And in support of Lebanon the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has been lit up with the image of the Lebanese flag, a simple gesture of kindness for a fellow
Arab nation in the wake of disaster.
Well, in addition to countries around the Middle East and the world rallying support for this small country, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq and Iran are sending field hospitals and supplies to Beirut. Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif said his country was ready to help in
any way necessary.
Let's get some perspective now on the outpouring of support from one country, that of Israel. Journalist Elliott Gotkine is joining us from Tel
Aviv in Israel.
And the Israelis very quick to come out and say that they had nothing to do with this and then, soon after that, offers of support of humanitarian aid.
Is that likely to be accepted by the Lebanese?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: I think it's quite unlikely, Becky, to be honest, certainly if history is any guide. In 2017 there was a devastating
earthquake in the southeast of Iran, near the border with Iraq. Israel offered aid and that was quickly rebuffed. It was via the international Red
Cross.
So it seems unlikely that Lebanon would accept any humanitarian aid from Israel because there's little love lost between the two countries. Lebanon
is one of a handful of countries that Israel designates as an enemy state.
That said, the words from the Israeli officials have been conciliatory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking in the Knesset, said, "On behalf of the Israeli government, I send my condolences to the people of Lebanon.
[10:35:00]
GOTKINE: "We are prepared to extend humanitarian aid as human beings to human beings," adding that, "As we did in the humanitarian crisis in Syria,
this is our way."
And that really echoed the words written by president Reuven Rivlin last night on Twitter, which he sent out in Hebrew and English and Arabic,
saying, "We share the pain of the Lebanese people and sincerely reach out to offer our aid at this difficult time."
And you know, Becky, it is hard to believe that, just a week ago, there were concerns about rising tensions by the northern border between Israel
and Lebanon. That now today, tragically, seems a very long time ago.
ANDERSON: Well, that's the politics. On the street, as I understand it, the president did show solitary by Israelis, Elliott.
GOTKINE: Yes, I think sending relief to disaster structure countries is not unprecedented and certainly I think most Israelis will agree with the
sentiments expressed by the prime minister and the president.
One other thing that's happened is the mayor of Tel Aviv has announced that the municipal building in central Tel Aviv will be lit up this evening with
the flag of Lebanon. Now it's not unusual for flags to be projected onto the building but this is the first time that an enemy state flag has been
beamed onto the municipal building.
So a real show of solidarity from Tel Avivians from one Mediterranean city to another in this time of tragedy for the Lebanese people.
ANDERSON: Elliott Gotkine, reported for you, thank you, Elliott.
Beirut is reeling, the Lebanese no stranger to destruction. The country's history will tell you as much. But this site, it is shocked at the country
and the world. One film director comparing the catastrophic damage to what he saw after a month of bombing in the Israeli-Hezbollah war. But he says
the blast -- this blast was different. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARACTINGI: We have seen war. I filmed war. I went to (INAUDIBLE) in 2006. I went to the south Lebanon to see this. It took 30 days to do the same
destruction. We had it in one explosion. It is a catastrophe I have never seen something like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And we will do more on Beirut in a moment.
Before that, let's just get you up to speed on some of the other stories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the cornerstone on the controversial
Hindu temple in northern India. This follows years of legal battles over the site which was a centuries-old mosque until 1992. India's Supreme Court
approved construction of the temple last year.
As Germany ventures to reopen its schools, a local think tank has come up with interesting findings. Apparently when learning at home, students spend
half as much time each day on school work and 30 percent more time watching TV and using smartphones or devices. All states in Germany have opted for
students to go back to normal classes.
The Dominican Republic says it has no record of Spain's former king entering the country. Some Spanish media have reported that Juan Carlos I
could be there after he left Spain amid financial scandal. The royal household will not say where the former monarch has gone.
We'll take a very short break. Back after this.
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[10:40:00]
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson. We'll continue with further coverage of the disaster that is
Beirut today in a moment.
Before that, I want to just focus for a moment on COVID-19 because studies have shown that antibodies can produce some degree of immunity against the
virus. But they can also disappear within weeks or months. Well, now researchers are trying to determine how effective antibodies are at
preventing reinfection. CNN's Anna Stewart reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUE STANTON, RECOVERING FROM COVID-19: To be honest, the symptoms have never gone away.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sue Stanton thought she was one of the COVID long haulers.
STANTON: The fatigue, the extra pains and brain fog.
STEWART: Suffering symptoms for weeks after her infection in late March. Two negative PCR tests in April seemed to signal the road to recovery, then
in July, she tested positive for the virus again.
STANTON: It was quite shocking to be perfectly honest.
STEWART: A shock too for England's public health organization which ordered further swap testing.
STANTON: I have absolute hopes that they'd be able to identify whether it was a new infection, or whether I caught it again or whether it was a
relapse from my first infection. To my understanding is that they've not been able to determine that.
STEWART: To date, there are no confirmed cases of reinfection anywhere in the world. Epidemiology experts think the vast majority of people do
develop protective immunity once they've had the virus at least for the short term, but perhaps not all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These stories we are hearing, the exceptions and perhaps we know that if you look at levels of antibodies in different
people, it's like firing a (inaudible), that some people are aware that (inaudible) of antibody and some people are way down there with almost
none. And what if these are examples of people who had almost none, who are unlucky and meet the virus again and just don't have protection on board?
STEWART: I had a positive test for antibodies at a private clinic in May, having been ill a few weeks with COVID-19 symptoms. So, I am back three
months later to see whether my antibody levels have dropped. Recent studies have shown that these antibodies can declined rapidly after infection,
bringing into question just how long-lasting this type of protective immunity is.
Here, we have my results from last time and here we have it today. Now you could see that my IG is negative, which I would expect. I don't think I'd
be infected recently. My IGG has come down, but it's still positive. So, I hope I have some level of immunity still, although how much protection
antibodies ultimately give is still unknown. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I knew I had antibodies on board, it probably
wouldn't make me go and stand shoulder to shoulder in a crowd (inaudible) in real something. I just don't have my kind of confidence quite that far,
but I wouldn't expect to get re-infected if I was an average sort of person.
STEWART: While experts still stress, reinfection is highly unlikely, it offers little hope for people like Sue Stanton, despite two positive PCR
tests over three months apart. She's never tested positive for antibodies.
STANTON: Is this something that I am going to have ongoing? Is this something that you know, I'm never fully going to recover from. Or what are
the implications for that? Will I be ever be able to go back to work? What are the consequences of that? I mean, my children, it's something that I
try not to think about too much?
STEWART: Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the blast in Beirut spared nowhere, it seems, even the prime minister's headquarters. More on that coming up.
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[10:45:00]
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ANDERSON: The people of Beirut are in despair today. This is what the blasts that happened last night looked like and felt like if you were in a
Beirut apartment not far from the port.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It just seems unimaginable, doesn't it?
The footage is truly indescribable. The damage it has caused, incomprehensible. Hotel Federation for Tourism estimates that 90 percent of
hotels were damaged, a crippling number for a city already dealing with a severe economic crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as the world sends condolences to Beirut there's little comfort for those searching for missing loved ones amongst the rubble.
Hundreds of people have been reported missing by family members. The health minister says he is worried the death toll could go even higher.
It's so bad on the ground that the Lebanese Red Cross has set up temporary shelters and at least five Middle Eastern countries are sending field
hospitals to the shaken city. Lebanese MP Paula Yacoubian is scrambling teams to try to find people trapped in the rubble.
She has been out all day helping out and has returned to her office simply to take this interview with us. And she joins me now.
And describe what you have seen, Paula.
PAULA YACOUBIAN, LEBANESE MP: Well, I don't know how to describe it. I was born in the Lebanese war. I have lived throughout all these years in this
country. It's nothing like I have seen before. Until now, we don't understand what really happened.
[10:50:00]
YACOUBIAN: And we don't trust the system, nor the political caste nor those conducting this investigation.
So what happened is a big catastrophe. All of Beirut is -- it was already on its knees. Now I don't know what to say. Now it's underground. It is,
you -- you can see the pictures, it's the poorest neighborhoods of Beirut that were mostly affected.
All of Beirut was affected but the poorest area of Beirut is the closest to the ports. Some buildings did not stay -- were demolished and until now
they're looking for people, hoping for some to be survivors.
I think it's very, very difficult in Beirut and, as the MP of Beirut, I really don't know what to say. We need all kind of help. We urge the
international community to help and support ,us despite the ruling mafia and despite everything. We really need help and support right now. It's
like --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: And that was in the short term and, of course, condolences are flooding in from around the world and, clearly, Paula, those wishes are
well intentioned.
But at this stage is it clear just how much concrete support Lebanon needs and what sort of support it needs?
YACOUBIAN: Well, support that is highly needed because this country imports everything. The port is not there anymore. There's nothing left of
the port. We still have the port of Tripoli. We need anything and everything you can imagine.
I don't know how Beirut will be rebuilt. Last year we worked together in the Gray Hotel. There's nothing left from that area as you know very well.
People are in need of everything.
We just called for volunteers; thousands of people showed up. We asked for clean water for food, for mattresses. These things -- I mean, we're OK when
it comes to this. But we need urgent medical support.
Our hospitals are unable to accommodate with the coronavirus and 4,000 injured. And we don't how much the toll of death until now. This country is
in dire need of all kinds of support and especially of love and affection and compassion from the entire world.
It's not only about goods and food and this kind of support. We need political support. We need to get rid of the mafia that destroys everything
here, completely everything. They shattered everything and now apparently they planted a bomb inside the city -- a ticking bomb. And I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: By which, of course, you mean this storage -- this stash of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port. Nobody seems to
understand why it was stashed so close to this city, that port sits right downtown, and why it was there for so long.
That investigation now ongoing and, of course, the president has, Paula, said that there will be a thorough investigation and those responsible will
be held accountable.
Do you believe his words?
YACOUBIAN: No, I don't. They always promise to do something, to investigate, to hold someone accountable. And they do nothing, absolutely
nothing.
They are the ones accountable. They should resign or put themselves -- I don't know, in prison. This mafia should leave. There is no judicial system
anymore in the country. There is no independent investigation. There's no one to trust. People don't trust anyone.
And in this fragile economy, I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I don't know how we can survive. The country was already suffering and now
there's nothing. Even people who want to help, they don't have access to their money in the bank -- we have a capital -- it's not capital controlled
(INAUDIBLE).
Nothing is functioning in the country, absolutely nothing, on all levels. And we have people who do lip service all the time. This is just another
act from the president and the prime minister just to show they're doing something. They're all responsible. They have been ruling this country
together, all of them, the political parties.
[10:55:00]
YACOUBIAN: The strong political parties are ruling together this country. And they brought us to our knees. We have to tell them enough.
ANDERSON: Paula Yacoubian, who say enough. If anyone knows the Lebanese who is watching, those who do, will know their humanity.
I mean, story after story, Paula, of people helping each other out in the wake of this blast. And if there's one thing we can take out of that, it's
a reminder of the Lebanese people's humanity and their -- and their gift that they have for looking after others, not just those who live in Lebanon
but those Lebanese who live around the world, who will be horrified by what they are witnessing in the capital city today.
YACOUBIAN: Absolutely.
ANDERSON: Paula, our thoughts with you. Our support is there and we will not give up on this story. We will not stop until we see some
accountability. Thank you.
We've got some breaking news on this blast at the Beirut port. The Lebanese cabinet has ordered the port officials to be placed under house arrest in
the coming days. Now officials say their arrest depends on the conclusion of the investigation.
Well, the minister for displaced people says the government will look into, and I quote here, "who took part in the storage, guarding and investigating
of Hangar 12 from 2014 until today."
Let me explain why they allude back to 2014. As we understand it, at present reports suggest that this cargo of ammonium nitrate arrived in
Lebanon and was taken off a boat at the port between 2013 and 2014, 2,750 tons -- tons -- of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertilizer, kept in
storage in a hangar in a port just a kilometer away from downtown Beirut.
And that is what happened to it. We have got new satellite images to share with you. This shows the blast site before and after the explosion. These
are from Planet Labs. You can see the port on the left-hand side and see the hangars?
Well, you can identify where Hangar 12 was because now, on the right, there is just a hole.
Well, a blast that size, of course, many people have lost their homes. So many that it's hard to get your head around it. So let's zoom in to the
scale of one person and one home.
Take a look at the before and after videos of this apartment sent to us by a Beirut resident. Like so much of the city, including CNN's bureau,
windows have been blown out, completely shattered. Glass litters toppled furniture, doors ripped off their hinges, a place of sanctuary completely
turn apart.
This unlivable home now a reality for so many in Beirut. Well, Tuesday's explosion also caused considerable damage to the prime minister's
headquarters. These photos show what it looked like inside after the blast. Wooden furniture destroyed, decorations on the floor and several doors
blown wide open. All of this about 1.5 kilometers from the site of the explosion. The presidential palace reportedly damaged as well.
Up next, I speak to a young woman searching for her missing father, who works at the port in Beirut. That is ahead.
[11:00:00]
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