Even as they counted their dead, many Lebanese were consumed with anger over the blast they see as the most shocking expression yet of their leadership's incompetence.
"We can't bear more than this. This is it. The whole system has got to go," said 30-year-old Mohammad Suyur.
A flood of angry posts on social media suggested the disaster could reignite a cross-sectarian protest movement that erupted in October but faded amid the grinding economic hardship and the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab and President Michel Aoun have promised to put the culprits responsible for the disaster behind bars.
And late Thursday a military prosecutor announced 16 port staff had been detained over the blast.
But trust in institutions is low and few on Beirut's streets held out hope for an impartial inquiry.
A drone picture shows smoke from the scene of an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 Source: AP
On a visit to the gutted city, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that "an international, open and transparent probe is needed to prevent things from remaining hidden and doubt from creeping in".
In asking for an international enquiry, he joined calls widely supported in and outside Lebanon for an independent probe, and said French investigators were on their way to Beirut.
Speaking of Lebanon's political leaders, Mr Macron said: "Their responsibility is huge, that of a revamped pact with the Lebanese people in the coming weeks, that of deep change."
Amid the gloom and fury, the aftermath of the terrible explosion has also yielded countless uplifting examples of spontaneous solidarity.
French president Emmanuel Macron talks during a press conference in Beirut. Source: ABACA
Business owners swiftly took to social media, posting offers to repair doors, paint damaged walls or replace shattered windows for free.
Lebanon's diaspora, believed to be nearly three times the tiny country's population of five million, has rushed to launch fundraisers and wire money to loved ones.
In Beirut, much of the cleanup has been handled by volunteers.
"We're sending people into the damaged homes of the elderly and handicapped to help them find a home for tonight," said Husam Abu Nasr, a 30-year-old volunteer.
Workers remove rubble from damaged buildings near the site of an explosion on Tuesday that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020 Source: AP
"We don't have a state to take these steps, so we took matters into our own hands."
