Damaged grain silos at the port of Beirut collapsed following a fire on Sunday, four days before the second anniversary of the devastating explosion in this port.
A cloud of dust covered the port after two of the 48 towers collapsed, AFP journalists noted. Army helicopters immediately flew over the area to drop water and attempt to completely extinguish the fire in the structure.
“Two other towers are in danger of collapsing,” Public Works Minister Ali Hamiyé told AFP. More than two weeks ago, a fire broke out in the most damaged part of the silos, caused according to the authorities by the fermentation of the remaining grain stocks, in addition to high temperatures.
The fire rekindled the trauma of relatives of victims of the August 4, 2020 explosion, which left more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured and devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital.
The August 4 explosion was triggered in a warehouse housing hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored carelessly. Hit hard by the blast of the explosion, the grain silos of the port had partially collapsed. Flames and smoke rising from the fire earlier this month in the silos remain visible.
After the fire, Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week warned that part of the silos were in danger of collapsing and called on the army and the Directorate of Disaster Management to be “on high alert”. .
Danger of total collapse
Parts of the silos still contain some 3,000 tonnes of wheat and other grains that could not be removed due to the danger of collapse, authorities said.
I cried when I learned that silos had collapsed.
The Ministries of Environment and Health have issued recommendations for the public in the event of silo collapses, including the need to evacuate the area, wear masks and close housing windows.
In April, Lebanon ordered the demolition of the silos, but the decision was suspended due to opposition from relatives of the victims of the tragedy, who want to make it a place of memory.
“I cried when I learned that the silos had collapsed,” Cécile Roukoz, who lost her brother in the August 4 explosion, told AFP.
“We want them to remain in place as witnesses to the crime […] and in memory of those who lost their lives for no reason,” she added.
The investigation into the causes of the tragedy of August 4, 2020 has been suspended for months due to political obstruction. Pointed out for criminal negligence, the authorities are accused by the families of the victims and NGOs of torpedoing her to avoid charges.