The last part of the northern block of grain silos at the port of Beirut collapsed on Tuesday, two years after being damaged by a devastating explosion that left more than 200 people dead and 6,500 injured.
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, which left more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured and devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital.
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.
The towers that collapsed on Tuesday were the last in the northern block of silos.
The southern block as a place of memory
For now, the remaining towers in the south block are stable, according to French civil engineer Emmanuel Durand, who has installed sensors inside the silos.
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.
On July 31 and August 4, other towers collapsed after a fire broke out in early July in the most damaged part of the silos, caused according to authorities and experts by the fermentation of stocks of remaining cereals, 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.
Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamie had claimed that 25,000 m2 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.