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The Lebanese army discovered more than four tons of ammonium nitrate on Thursday near the port of Beirut, where a deadly explosion killed nearly 200 people last month.
The army said that army experts were called in for an inspection and found the dangerous chemical in four containers near the port. There were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner.
The military said customs officials had called in the military to inspect the containers at a facility near the port, where they found the ammonium nitrate. He said that army experts were “dealing with the material,” an apparent reference to it being destroyed.
Port chief Bassem al-Qaisi told reporters that 43 containers containing flammable material remain in the area, adding that the military is doing everything possible to keep the containers safe. Al-Qaisi said it repeatedly asked customs authorities to remove the material.
Chilean and Lebanese rescuers search the rubble of a building that collapsed in last month’s massive explosion, after receiving signs that a survivor may be under the rubble, in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 3.
(AP)
Days after the August 4 explosion, French and Italian chemical experts working in the wreckage of the port identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals. The army later said that these containers were moved and stored safely in locations far from the port.
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French experts and the FBI have participated in the investigation of the August 4 explosion, at the request of the Lebanese authorities. Their findings have yet to be published.
So far, authorities have detained 25 people during last month’s blast, most of them port and customs officials.
The official National News Agency reported Thursday that the principal investigator of the port explosion, Fadi Sawwan, heard testimony from the country’s acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
Diab, who resigned under pressure after the explosion, is the highest-ranking politician to testify before judicial authorities.
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Some 190 people were killed and 6,000 injured in the August 4 explosion that swept through the Lebanese capital. Investigators said the explosion was caused by some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stacked in unsafe conditions in a port warehouse and neglected for years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report..
