BEIRUT (AP) – Chemical experts and firefighters are working to secure at least 20 potentially hazardous chemical containers at the explosion-ravaged port of Beirut, after finding one that was leaking, according to a member of a French cleaning team.
Some of the containers were punctured when last week’s deadly explosion swept through the port and the Lebanese capital, said lt Anthony, a French chemical expert at the site who was not authorized to be identified by his full name according to government policy.
French and Italian chemical experts working amid the wreckage of the port have so far identified more than 20 containers containing hazardous chemicals, Anthony said.
“We note the presence of containers with the chemical hazard symbol. And then noticed that one of the containers was leaking, ‘he told The Associated Press in a TV interview on Monday.
The experts are working with Lebanese firefighters to secure all the containers and analyze their contents, he said. “We need to clean everything up and put everyone in safety.”
He did not identify which chemicals were involved or gave further details. Lebanese officials have not commented on the potential chemical risks at the port.
“There are other flammable liquids in other containers, there are also batteries, or other types of products that can increase the risk of potential explosion,” Anthony said, describing enormous containers around the port. are thrown by the mighty force of the explosion.
It is unclear whether there could be additional potentially hazardous containers in other zones of the port. The French and Italian experts were assigned to a specific zone to investigate and secure that section, Anthony said.
The explosion last Tuesday in the harbor killed at least 160 people and injured about 6,000 others. It is thought to have been caused by a fire that caused a 2,750 tonne of highly volatile ammonium nitrate antigen. The material had been stored in the port since 2013 with little security despite several warnings about the danger.
The chemical experts are among a number of French emergency workers who arrived to help search for bodies, help the sick and clean up after the explosion. Nearly 50 French police are also in Beirut to help investigate what happened.
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Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
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