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Lebanese President Michel Aoun speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda on August 30, 2020. Photo by Reuters. reuters_tickers
This content was published on Sep 11, 2020 – Jul 15:44,
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Friday that several tons of highly explosive material were found in the port of Beirut, just weeks after the chemical was blamed for a massive explosion there, and that it had been stored for 15 years.
The army said on September 2 that it had discovered 4,350 kilograms of ammonium nitrate stored near the port. Ammonium nitrate is a highly explosive substance that was the cause of the explosion, which occurred on August 4, which killed about 190 people and destroyed a large area of Beirut.
The August 4 explosion was caused by a much larger amount of the substance, about 2,750 tons. Officials said that this amount had been stored in the port for about six years without observing security conditions.
Critics have said that the negligence and failure to store such a high explosive material reflects the depth of the imbalance in Lebanon’s management. The country is suffering a serious economic crisis under the weight of a huge debt.
After his meeting with senior army officials supervising work at the destroyed port site, President Michel Aoun said in a statement: “During searches of the port, 4,350 kilograms of ammonium nitrate were found in containers since 2004 and 2005, and they were destroyed in designated explosive fields. So “.
“143 containers were discovered that contained flammable materials,” he added.
On Thursday, a large fire broke out in the port warehouses, some of which still contain goods, despite the damage caused by the explosion. A source said the fire was caused by welding work as part of ongoing repairs, where a spark ignited flammable materials.
The fire, which occurred about a month after the massive explosion, sent thick smoke over the capital and sparked panic among residents who had not yet recovered from the impact of the blast, which destroyed buildings in the area and smashed windows in Beirut
The Aug. 4 explosion killed nearly 190 people and injured 6,000. President Aoun’s statement said that nine people were still missing since the explosion.
(Press coverage of Raya Chalabi – Prepared by Marwa Salam for the Arabic bulletin – Edited by Mustafa Saleh)
