A picture taken on August 5, 2020 shows the damaged grain silo and a burnt boat at Beirut's harbour, one day after a powerful twin explosion tore through Lebanon's capital, source: Reuters
The Lebanese government has placed all officials who worked at the Port of Beirut under house arrest as investigations continue into the colossal explosion that damaged over half of the city on Tuesday.
It is currently believed that wrongly stored chemicals in the port were the cause of the explosion. Documents show that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored at the port since late 2013. While normally used as fertiliser, ammonium nitrate is also used as a component of explosives and can ignite if stored in unsafe conditions.
At present, the death toll stands at 157, with many thousands suffering injuries ranging from the minor to the extremely severe. Many others are reported missing. Experts state that the blast held the power of around 10% of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima during World War II.
What is known from documents, including the port's newsletter, is that the ammonium nitrate originated in Russia and was headed for Mozambique in East Africa, however, the ship was impounded in Beirut after suffering technical difficulties and then abandoned by the owner, a Russian who fled to Cyprus. There then ensued a legal battle in the Lebanese courts over who was the rightful owner of the cargo. This court battle appears to be what stopped the chemicals from being removed.
An intelligence gathering group, Aurora Intel, has now posted a picture online of the warehouse showing the improperly stored chemical in dirty bags marked "Nitroprill HD."
This photo is making the rounds this evening on Telegram. Appears to show numerous parcels of bagged Ammonium Nitrate.
— The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) August 4, 2020
Was going to write this off as horse shit, but those are the exact same warehouse windows.🤔 pic.twitter.com/RLEe3XWawA
Prime Minister Hassan Diab has told Lebanese citizens that those responsible will be brought to justice. His remarks came as French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut to offer support. Lebanon was formerly a French colony and still has strong ties to the European nation.
Despite Diab's words protests began around the city on Thursday night and chants of 'revolution' were heard as well as 'the people want the fall of the regime', with citizens venting their anger at the incompetency of the government in allowing such a grievous breach of health and safety to occur. This year Lebanon has already undergone huge protests calling for the government to fall and the country is experiencing a massive economic crisis. As it currently stands, Lebanon has the second worst government debt levels in the world.
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