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Image posted, AFP
A judicial source in Lebanon said a judge, Fadi Sawan, who is investigating the devastating explosion in Beirut on August 4, brought charges against Hassan Diab, the acting prime minister, and three other former ministers.
The source, cited by Agence France-Presse, says the charges brought by the judge were alleged negligence that caused the death of more than 200 people in the explosion, the injuries of thousands more and the displacement of large numbers from their homes.
The judicial source says that Sawan will question them next week.
Reuters reported that the other three ministers are former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and the two former Public Works Ministers Ghazi Zaiter and Youssef Fenianos.
Sawan’s decision reportedly came “after verifying that they had received several written communications warning them not to postpone the maintenance of ammonium nitrate on the Beirut port campus, and not to take the necessary measures to prevent the devastating explosion. and its massive damages. “
Last month, Sawan asked parliament to investigate current and former ministers on suspicion of committing rapes or crimes related to the blast.
The judicial source explained that Sawan “accused Diab and the three ministers of crimes that fall within their jurisdiction and jurisdiction,” after Parliament refused to respond to his request.
Since October, Washington has imposed sanctions on Khalil, who held the Ministry of Finance between 2014 and early 2020 and is also a deputy for the Amal Movement led by the President of Parliament Nabih Berri, and Vinyanos, who served as the Ministry of Works between 2016 and early 2020 and is affiliated with the Marada movement, for its support of Hezbollah. And his involvement in “corruption”.
Many Lebanese blame the entire political system for the explosion, which took place in a huge warehouse in the port of Beirut.
The disaster was preceded by a massive fire in the port of Beirut, and videos on social media showed a cloud of white smoke emanating from District 12 at a warehouse located in front of huge grain storage silos at the port.
Image posted, Reuters
Residential buildings near the port suffered severe damage
Shortly after 6 p.m., according to local time, the warehouse caught fire and there was a large initial explosion, followed by a series of small explosions that, according to some eyewitnesses, looked like fireworks.
After about 30 seconds, a massive explosion occurred that sent a huge mushroom cloud into the air.
The second explosion destroyed buildings near the port and caused destruction and damage to many other neighborhoods in the capital, which are home to some two million people. Hospitals were quickly overwhelmed by the blast victims, the wounded and the dead.
Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said that a large part of the population, up to 300,000 people, are temporarily homeless, and total losses can reach between $ 10 and $ 15 billion.
How big is the explosion?
The explosion destroyed the dock area and left a crater about 140 meters wide that filled with seawater.
Burning warehouses were razed to the ground and adjacent grain silos were badly damaged.
The explosion was heard on the island of Cyprus, 200 km in the Mediterranean. Seismologists with the Geological Survey of the United States of America said the force of the explosion was equivalent to a magnitude 3.3 earthquake.
What are the causes of the explosion?
Lebanese President Michel Aoun has blamed the explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which he says was stored unsafe in a port warehouse.
Ammonium nitrate has been linked to several fatal industrial accidents; In 1947, a freighter carrying 2,000 tons exploded in Texas, USA, killing 581 people.
