The Lebanese owner of a cruise ship sunk by the enormous explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut is conducting a lawsuit in “all that responsibility”, the country’s landowner said, as anger rages over the disaster.
Two crew members of the Queen of the Orient were killed and seven others were injured on Tuesday when an enormous shipment of ammonium nitrate fire broke out and caused an explosion that razed the harbor and closed entire swathes of the city.
Angry Lebanese plan on Saturday a major protest in central Beirut, amid control over how 2,750 tonnes of the hazardous material could be stored so close to residential areas for years – despite repeated warnings of the risk it posed.
A former port worker, Yusuf Shehadi, told the Guardian that he was ordered by the Lebanese army to house the chemicals in warehouse 12 at the port despite repeated protests from other government departments. Dozens of bags of fireworks were stored in the same hangar.
Shehadi said he spoke to former colleagues at the port who said workers had tried to fix a gate outside warehouse 12 with a power tool prior to the explosion. “This was at 5pm, and after 30 minutes they saw smoke. Firefighters arrived, and so did state security. Everyone died. ”
The country’s president, Michel Aoun, said the cause of the explosion was still unclear and did not rule out the possibility of hostile action.
The National News Agency reported on Friday: “Entrepreneur Merhi Abou Merhi, the owner of the cruise ship Orient Queen, has filed a lawsuit against all those responsible for this catastrophic explosion.”
The agency said the suit was the first of its kind and could pave the way for similar legal action in the coming days and weeks.
The large cruise ship, which can accommodate at least 300 guests and house a casino, was docked in its home port when disasters struck.
The preliminary death toll for the explosion is 154, but the figure is expected to increase since dozens of people are still reported missing and large numbers of injured are still in hospital in critical condition. The blast injured at least 5,000 and caused unusual damage throughout the city.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
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