On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, causing at least 200 deaths, 3 reported missing, 6,500 injuries, US$10–15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless.
Around 2,750 tonnes of the substance had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years. The explosion was preceded by a fire in the same warehouse, but as of October 2020, the exact cause of the detonation is still under investigation.
Rotary Club of Dubai took immediate actions with the collection of over AED 1 million worth of life-saving and emergency equipment being sent to the victims.