Beirut Explosion: Probe Focuses on Why Tons of Explosives Were In Storage
The death toll from a deadly blast in Lebanon’s capital surged past 100, as public anger over the explosion mounted and Lebanese authorities searched for answers as to why thousands of tons of explosives were stored for years in Beirut’s heavily populated city center.
Rescue workers in Lebanon were searching for survivors from the explosion Tuesday evening that injured thousands and caused widespread damage, blanketing Beirut in dust and debris.
The explosion at the warehouse appeared to have been triggered by a fire. The depot held highly explosive material identified as ammonium nitrate that had been deposited there—likely due to inaction and negligence.The ammonium nitrate had entered Beirut port on board the Moldavian-flagged Rhosus vessel that set sail for Mozambique from Georgia in 2013, according to a senior Lebanese politician, an army official and a Middle East security official.
A shipping industry newsletter in 2015 said the vessel carrying 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been forced to dock in Beirut due to technical problems, and was abandoned there by its owners.
“Owing to the risks associated with retaining the Ammonium Nitrate on board the vessel, the port authorities discharged the cargo onto the port’s warehouses,” read the shiparrested.com newsletter. “The vessel and cargo remain to date in port awaiting auctioning and/or proper disposal.”
The Lebanese army official said the port authority and customs had repeatedly informed the judiciary of the dangers but no action was taken. “We have to see where the responsibility lies because of the delay,” he said.
Hours after the incident, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said those responsible would be held accountable.
More than 100 people have died due to the explosion and thousands more injured, according to George Kitani, the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross. He said in a statement shared on the country’s state news website that “the catastrophe is very large and unprecedented.”
Search-and-rescue operations continue and Lebanon has dispatched divers and boats to check for casualties in the waters surrounding the port, said Brig. Gen. Raymond Khattar, Lebanon’s Civil Defense chief.
He suspects that people also remain trapped under the grain silos in the port. “We cannot approach them yet because we are afraid the building might collapse,” Mr. Khattar said.
Teams from France, Russia, Greece, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands will assist Lebanon in its search-and-rescue missions, Mr. Khattar added.
A U.S. official said the U.S. assessed the explosion to be a likely accident, but it can’t say so conclusively without knowing what led to the initial fire or spark.
A day earlier, President Trump had called it a “terrible attack” and said U.S. military leaders believe the explosion was caused by “a bomb of some kind.” Defense officials have said they have seen no evidence of a bombing.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter that he would go to Beirut on Thursday to express “the French people’s message of fraternity and solidarity” and to meet political authorities.
Meanwhile, the Paris prosecutor’s office said it has opened an investigation into the explosion in Beirut after 21 French nationals were wounded in the incident.
Near the epicenter of the blast, people gathered to survey the damage, taking photographs of mangled warehouses and the damaged silos. An alarm was still ringing.
“It’s a second Hiroshima,” said Tony, a 55-year-old taxi driver, his eyes full of tears.
Videos of the blast posted on social media showed smoke billowing from the warehouse on the waterfront before a massive explosion produced a giant orange mushroom cloud over the city. It was yet another trauma for Beirut residents who have survived wars and numerous bombings. They now face the challenge of rebuilding at a time of strained resources due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lebanon is reeling from multiple crises in recent months, ranging from large street protests over government corruption to an economy on the brink of collapse after years of mismanagement. Ordinary citizens are struggling with soaring prices of food and other goods, as well as long daily power cuts.
The explosion left a swath of destruction at the port, one of Lebanon’s vital economic arteries. Video footage reviewed by The Wall Street Journal showed a swath of rubble, piles of metal and burning fires.
The shock wave and vast plume of smoke quickly transformed the city center into a surreal scene blanketed in dust and debris as stunned residents fled their homes and rushed the wounded to hospitals. Bloody and injured people were trying to wave down ambulances, which had to navigate streets filled with debris and wrecked cars. Ambulances struggled to part the traffic.
The Lebanese health ministry requested that the wounded be brought to hospitals in areas surrounding Beirut to relieve pressure on facilities in the capital, the state news agency reported.
Lebanon’s health infrastructure is stretched to its limits following a number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks. On Tuesday, 177 new cases were recorded, according to the health ministry. Economic pressures have also put hospitals under strain. The American University hospital in Beirut laid off hundreds of staff in July, citing the economic crisis.
Several countries have begun sending aid and personnel to help with the explosion’s aftermath.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told local TV that France was sending three planes with 25 tons in aid and security personnel. They include diplomats and emergency workers who will support Beirut’s hospitals, the French government said.
Vincent Tissier, the chief of the security detachment, told French TV that 55 security personnel trained to locate victims under rubble, provide first aid, identify chemical components and operate heavy machinery used to clear debris were being sent to Beirut.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it was dispatching doctors, a mobile hospital and planes with humanitarian aid. Medical specialists with mobile labs to test for the coronavirus were likewise on route, the ministry said. Russian state news agency RIA reported that five Emergency Ministry planes would be sent.
Qatar opened an air bridge Wednesday to carry urgent aid to Lebanon. The first of four air force planes left this morning carrying two full field hospitals with 500 beds each, as well as ventilators, generators and medicine. Kuwait also began sending medical supplies.
Lebanon’s economy was already struggling before the pandemic, but a lockdown imposed to fight the virus has pushed it to the brink.
On the once-thriving Gemmayzeh Street, business owners were trying Wednesday to salvage whatever remained of their livelihoods.
Mohammed al-Alam, 46, sat in the gutted interior of a coffee shop. The owner is abroad, but asked Mr. Alam to remove the coffee machines in case of looters, whom he wouldn’t blame for stealing.
“People are hungry,” he said.
Blood was smeared on the bonnet of a white car on the opposite side of the street. Mr. Alam said a chunk of the building facade dislodged by the blast struck a woman on the head there, fatally wounding her.
“There is no future with a government like this; Nobody has any hope,” he said. Both his sons are planning to leave the country. “There is nothing to stay here for.”
Along the street were glimpses of other lives and livelihoods upended by the blast, the force of which wrenched doors and windows from their frames and tore down older buildings.
In a cocktail bar, bottles were still lined up neatly on the shelves, highlighting the devastation around.
Twenty-six-year-old Lina returned from Dubai where she works in digital marketing to see her family two weeks ago and was part of a small group of volunteers helping clear away debris Wednesday.
“It’s a complete disaster,” she said. “Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, they prove you wrong. We’re on the brink of extinction.”
Photo: Beirut streets were filled with damaged buildings and vehicles following the explosion at a warehouse in the city’s port.AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
