Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. What's Next for Lebanon? Jamie Dettmer ROME - Many Lebanese have tales to tell of how they survived the largest explosion in the country's history, a port blast right in the heart of Beirut that left 6,000 injured, at least 200 dead and 300,000 homeless. Sometimes it was a door frame that blocked deadly debris; sometimes the lifesaver was a decision to move away from a balcony to prepare a drink just minutes or seconds before the huge explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate sent shock waves across the Lebanese capital. Some mistook the explosion for an earthquake. Others remember thinking a nuclear bomb might have detonated as their mind's eye took in an enormous mushroom cloud. .