The last part of the northern block of grain silos at the port of Beirut collapsed on Tuesday, two years after the explosion which left more than 200 dead, 6,500 injured and devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital. A cloud of smoke forms after the collapse of eight towers of the structure damaged by the blast of the August 4, 2020 explosion at the port. The explosion was triggered in a warehouse housing hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored without precautions. And it has been blamed by much of the population on the corruption and negligence of the ruling class.
Twelve silos still standing
The towers that collapsed on Tuesday were the last in the northern block. For now, the remaining towers in the southern block are stable, according to French civil engineer Emmanuel Durand who has installed sensors inside. Prime Minister Najib Mikati sent a letter to Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamie on Tuesday, calling for the preservation of the southern block as a “memorial site in memory of the martyrs of the port”, his office said. In total, there were 48 silos. Only twelve are still standing, all located in the southern block.
Before this new collapse, relatives of victims had called for a sit-in at the port, scheduled for late Tuesday afternoon. “We hold the authorities responsible” for the collapse of the silos, told AFP Mariana Fodoulian, who lost her sister in the explosion. “We must protect the southern part and the whole site (…)”, as a place in memory of the victims, she added.
Investigation suspended for months
On July 31 and August 4, other towers collapsed after a fire broke out in early July in the most damaged part, caused according to authorities and experts by the fermentation of remaining grain stocks. , combined with high temperatures. Since then, several towers have remained in flames.
In April, the authorities had ordered the demolition of the silos, but the decision was suspended due to the opposition of the relatives of the victims of the tragedy who want to make it a place of memory. The Minister of Public Works and Transport had said that 25,000 square meters of the capital’s port would be devoted to the construction of new silos, adding that funding would come from international donors and his ministry. The investigation into the causes of the tragedy has been suspended for months due to political obstruction by the authorities.