A large cloud of dust and smoke hovered over the port area on Sunday. On Thursday, it will be exactly two years since the devastating explosions in the port of Beirut.
Antti Palomaa,
Eelis Bjurström,
Veera Pennanen
18:20•Updated 19:09
Some of the large grain silos located in the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, have collapsed. A large cloud of dust and smoke hovered over the area on Sunday afternoon. It is not yet known if anyone has been killed or injured.
Lebanese Minister of Transport Ali Hamie tells the news agency Reuters that he fears that the collapse could immediately cause more collapses in the silos of the port area.
In recent weeks, there has been a fire in the grain silos. Lebanese soldiers and rescue officials tried to put it out with water, but backed off when they realized the moisture only made matters worse.
Respirators were distributed to those living near the grain silos and the locals were ordered to stay away from the silos.
A video shared by a Lebanese journalist on Twitter shows part of the moment of the collapse.
The silos were already damaged two years ago
Initially, the grain silos were damaged in the huge explosions that took place in August 2020. More than 215 people died and thousands were injured in warehouse explosions.
The explosions caused destruction in a wide area of Beirut.
A large amount of ammonium nitrate was stored in the warehouse. The cargo had been in storage for years, even though the dangerous nature of the substance was known.
In April of this year, the Lebanese government ordered the demolition of the silos, but the project was halted due to residents’ protests.
The families of those who died in the explosions and those who survived the devastation demanded that the silos be saved as memorials and because they might still contain evidence of the authorities’ careless actions regarding ammonium nitrate.
31.7. at 18:42: Added Hamie’s comment.