It has now been exactly one year since a huge explosion caused widespread devastation in Beirut, Lebanon, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands more.
The blast ripped through the city on 4 August 2020, when a large amount of ammonium nitrate that was being improperly stored at the port exploded.
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According to the BBC, the incident was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, with top officials yet to be questioned about the disaster as they have been protected by immunity.
However, the Lebanese parliament has said it is ready to lift the immunity of its members in order for the explosion to be investigated.
Speaking to CNN at the time, one Beirut resident who was several kilometres away when the explosion happened said her windows were blown through.
Rania Masri said: "What I felt was that it was an earthquake.
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"The apartment shook horizontally and all of a sudden it felt like an explosion and the windows and doors burst open. The glass just broke. So many homes were damaged or destroyed."
Sky News reporter Zein Ja'far was also in downtown Beirut when the explosion happened.
He said: "I was on the phone to a colleague when I felt the ground tremble. My first thought was: 'This couldn't be an earthquake, surely?'
"Seconds later an explosion blew the windows out and doors clean off. As I got up off the floor a woman walked into my flat holding her baby. She was wailing for someone to help her. Smoke had filled the room and the sound of car alarms were piercing."
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A total of 218 fatalities were confirmed, with more than 7,500 people injured.
In the wake of the disaster, there have been protests across Lebanon in criticism of the government's failure to prevent what happened.
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Paul Naggear and Tracy Awad-Naggear have been among those taking to the streets to call for an international investigation.
Their three-year-old daughter Alexandra had been playing at home when the explosion tore through the neighbourhood, just a few hundreds metres from the port. After being rushed to hospital, she sadly died two days later.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Awad-Naggear said: "We miss her everyday more and more, but the rage is growing as well... We still have no answer to anything.
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"We still have no justice, not even a hint of justice. We're enraged. We feel frustrated and the rage is growing."
Mr Naggear added: "What justice means for us is that all the criminals, the ruling mafia, are held accountable: behind bars or worse.
"We are hoping to take our country back because part of justice for us is to live in a safe country, progressive, democratic country.
"We can't live here if these criminals are still in power. It's part of our fight and what we hope for is to get rid of them."
Featured Image Credit: PA
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