AP PHOTOS: Beirut images show shattered, dust-covered city

USA World

The aftermath of a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut shows a shattered city covered in dust and debris.

The blast sent a mushroom cloud into the sky, killed more than 100 people and injured thousands, with more bodies probably buried in the rubble. The explosion carved out a crater that filled with seawater, as if the sea had taken a bite out of the port and swallowed buildings.

In the remnants of one toppled structure, Lebanese soldiers searched for survivors, one of them lifting an ax high above his head to cut through the pile of broken masonry.

Elsewhere, a man was pulled from the rubble on a stretcher as a rescuer laid a hand on his forehead.

A photo of a damaged hospital room offered a chilling scene. The blast covered beds in shards of glass and smashed equipment. Reddish-brown streaks seen on a footboard and a wall looked like blood.

From high above the ground, a drone image showed a cluster of towering silos that were half destroyed. The tall, cylinder-shaped structures were blown apart, spilling grain into huge heaps. Now the towers resemble an ancient ruin rising from a pile of sand.