without needing to attribute it to malice. seen from space, this was the port before the explosion. now it lies in ruins, whole buildings wiped out, and the shocking sight of a large ship on its side. whatever the cause, the recovery will take years. david shukman, bbc news. britain will deploy emergency medical staff and search and rescue teams to beirut. the blast comes at a difficult time for the country, which is not only trying to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but is also struggling with in an unprecedented economic crisis. 0ur middle east editorjeremy bowen looks at the troubles facing the country. officials who may have ignored warnings about the dangers facing beirut are under house arrest. that is just the start of national recriminations. the force of the blast was devastating. if lebanon was rich, well governed and secure, it would find it hard to deal with this crisis. but it has none of those strengths.