BEIRUT — Lebanon on Friday marks the third anniversary of the deadly port explosion that ripped through Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020. Lebanese officials announced a national day of mourning for today, with sit-ins expected in the capital.

More than 200 people died and some 6,000 were wounded in the massive blast, which destroyed a large section of the city, leveling buildings on and near the port and shattering windows and infrastructure across the capital. The explosion stemmed from a fire at a warehouse that ignited nearly 3,000 tons of highly flammable ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored there since 2014. Experts declared the blast one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history. Ripples from it could be felt in Cyprus, 250 kilometers (155 miles) away.

The explosion came as Lebanon reeled under a devastating economic crisis, which continues to this day. A year earlier, massive nationwide protests had erupted against the entrenched political elite that has ruled the country since the end of the civil war (1975-90). Reports that several officials and politicians had known about the presence of the chemical stockpile at the port fueled even more anger among the Lebanese people.