Beirut (AP) – Gasan Hasrauti spent most of his life working on silos at the port of Beirut, unloading grain to feed the country, despite fighting around him during the 1975-90 civil war.
Decades later, it crumbled under the same silos, gutting their huge cement structure with the force of the August 4 explosion at the port.Meanwhile, 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrates ignited in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
In a terrifying moment, An explosion of power has devastated Beirut, killing more than 200 people and scarring survivors of the horrors and devastation..
Hasroti’s son Eli seeks justice for his father and thinks the silos should remain a “shameful sign” and a reminder of the corruption and negligence of politicians who blame so many Lebanese for the tragedy.
A study released by the government following the tragedy said that 0-year-old silos could collapse at any moment and should be dismantled, sparking an emotional debate among city dwellers on how to preserve the memory of the tragedy.
In Lebanon, where a culture of emancipation has long prevailed and where there has been little justice behind violent attacks, bombings and killings, the debate is in doubt.
Sara Jafar believes that the government wants to eradicate Silo and proceed as if nothing has happened. “It reminds me of what they did,” said Jaffer, the architect whose apartment was destroyed in the blast at the sight of the silo.
He said, ‘I never want to lose my temper.’
Outrage erupts just days after catastrophic blast, Lebanese PM Hassan Diab resignsSaying, the country’s local corruption was “bigger than the state.”
The huge, 48-meter-high silos absorbed much of the impact of the blast, effectively protecting the western part of the city from a blast that damaged or completely destroyed thousands of buildings..
An investigation into how such a large quantity of hazardous chemicals was poorly stored under the noses of the port authorities for years and the huge political leadership has come forward. Rights groups and families are concerned that this is a ploy to protect senior officials, none of whom have yet been detained or charged with malpractice.
More than four months later, rotten wheat is emerging from cut but still standing silos, which account for 85% of Lebanon’s grain. Garbage and rats have found a home among the wrecked people.
Emmanuel Durand, a French civil engineer who volunteered for a government-led team of experts, spent several weeks using a laser scanner to collect digital data for analysis of silos structures after the explosion.
Although they appear to be structural from a distance, the silos are tilted and their foundations are broken, causing ical cracks in both of them. They could collapse at any moment, Durand said, however, when it is impossible to calculate.
“Silos are just as strong as eggs as long as they have integrity,” Durand said. “Now if the shell of the egg is a little broken it becomes very weak and you will have no trouble crushing the egg.”
Durand said the army plans to demolish the silo with equipment that crushes concrete and rubber. Kuwait, which funded the Silo building in the 1970s, has offered to donate to rebuild it.
Subsequently, it was proposed by Fadi Abbod, former tourism minister and member of the Free Patriotic Movement, the largest Christian party, to make Balbak a port, a port and silos that collided with the Roman ruins a “tourist attraction.”
The families of the victims protested and called it a free commercialization of the place where many people died.
“In their dreams!” Gilbert Carane, whose 27-year-old fianc was sworn to firefighter Sahar Ferres, died in the blaze just before the explosion. “They will not benefit the martyrs.”
Jonathan Dagher, a journalist with independent media online media platform Megaphone, said Abboud’s words were consistent with remarks by party leader Gabran Basil, who said the blast could be turned into a “big opportunity” to gain international support for Lebanon’s cash. Striped government.
“These words are no accident” and what happened will affect the tragedy, Dagher said.
There are concerns that the port blast could be treated like Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.
War is not taught in school textbooks. There is no memorial to the 17,000 people missing from the war. In the wake of the general amnesty, fighters and military leaders dominated the country’s post-war politics. After the war, downtown Beirut was quickly rebuilt, a high-rise corporate hub emerging from ruins and destruction.
Jaffer, the architect, said the pushback against breaking the silos was due to the fear that a similar scenario based on the “concept of amnesia” – if you don’t see it – it didn’t happen – was being engineered for 4 Aug Gust. Explosion.
Lebanese architect Carlos Maubarak says guttural silos should stay in their place, echoing forever huge explosions for their huge size.
“There’s something very powerful about Silo,” he said. “They are now part of the collective memory of the people.”
Maubarak has created a memorial park on the site, with silos as the focal point, a commemorative ring on the crater, a museum and a green space. The goal, he said, is to honor the victims and survivors while also capturing a sense of unity among Lebanese in the wake of the blast. He is now trying to find ways to fund it.
Eli Hasrotti’s father and grandfather both worked in Silo after the construction.
His father, 59, called home 40 minutes before the blast to tell his wife that the new shipment of grain kept him there late and to send his favorite pillows and bedsheets for the unplanned at night at work.
His remains were found at the bottom of the silos, 14 days later.
Siso should “live as a witness to corruption so we can learn,” Hasroti said. “Something must change.”
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