Finalist, Beirut Port Explosion by Lorenzo Tugnoli

A few minutes after 6pm on August 4, 2020, a massive explosion shook Beirut, obliterating its port and destroying swathes of the city. At least 200 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured when 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate detonated. The material had been stored in a warehouse in Beirut’s port since being seized by custom authorities in 2014, despite repeated warnings of the danger from port officials and its proximity to a densely populated area of the city. In the following days, as bodies continued to be pulled from the rubble, protesters occupied government ministries, set fires and faced off against security forces.