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Al Ain News Beirut
Thursday 03/9/2020 07:47 PM Abu Dhabi time
The Lebanese authorities have moved proactively to prevent a new disaster in the capital, after the discovery of a dilapidated infrastructure and deposits at one of the Beirut airport facilities that allowed the leakage of petroleum materials.
This discovery sparked panic around the airport, as some Lebanese evacuated their homes for fear of a disaster similar to the one at the port.
The Lebanese judiciary, the Ministry of Public Works and the army mobilized to address a potential danger at the airport, after activists and the media revealed a letter sent by a contractor for airport maintenance work on February 24 to Lebanese Ministry of Public Works.
The letter revealed that “the infrastructure is worn out and many accidents have occurred in the past at the airport,” pointing to the possibility of “new accidents that we will not be able to control at that time,” according to the statement.
Lebanese sources told Al-Ain Al-Ikhbariya that the ruined facilities are depots containing highly flammable petroleum materials, which are intended to supply fuel to aircraft at the airport, and “these materials were leaking.”
The country’s official authorities mobilized to prevent a new disaster at the airport, as Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked the interim government’s works minister, Michel Najjar, to repair the dilapidated facilities for refueling planes at Rafic Hariri International Airport.
He also asked the Lebanese prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Aweidat, to investigate the reported waste of public money at these facilities.
Lebanese Attorney General Judge Ghassan El-Khoury referred those responsible for maintaining the Beirut airport to the Financial Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the waste of public funds.
Some residents of the airport road and its surroundings evacuated their homes for fear of any explosion at the Beirut airport due to the leakage of petroleum materials.
However, Beirut Airport President Fadi Al-Hassan assured the Lebanese that there were no gas leaks at the airport, denying that there is an “immediate danger” at present.
He pointed out that “the last leak was in 2019 and it was addressed at that time, and it did not happen again,” highlighting that “the work we are doing is proactive and there is no immediate danger now.”
Al-Hassan said in press releases that “no explosion awaits us and what we are concerned about is ensuring automatic support for the rehabilitation of networks, warehouses and infrastructure.”
