The explosion, due to storage without “precautions” of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate for six years, raises the question of responsibilities.
The Lebanon belly again his wounds, but the questions already flock to the circumstances that have caused the explosion in the port of Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 137 people and injuring more than 5,000. The lebanese authorities gave four days to a “committee of inquiry” to establish the responsibilities of the drama, according to the head of the diplomacy Charbel Wehbé. “The perpetrators of this horrible crime of negligence will be punished by a committee of judges,” he added.
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On a visit on Thursday, in the country, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has requested an “international investigation open, transparent,” so that the first elements have been unveiled by the local authorities.
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How explosives are-they arrived in Lebanon ?
The explosion in the port of Beirut, which has devastated whole neighbourhoods, is due to 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored for six years in a warehouse “without precautionary measures”, as admitted even by the Prime minister Hassan Diab.
This white salt, odorless, used as the basis of many nitrogen fertilizers in the form of granules, arrived on November 20, 2013 in Lebanon, in the holds of a ship flying the flag of moldova, the Rhosus. Advantage of Georgia to join the Mozambique, the ship has been blocked in Beirut after inspection of the authorities, because of technical problems. According to lebanese security sources, a firm of lebanese would have filed a complaint against the company to which the vessel belonged, pushing the local justice to seize the boat.
It was then abandoned by its owner, several Russian media have identified as Igor Grechushkine, Russian citizen living in Cyprus. The cypriot police said on Thursday they have talked to. “The lebanese authorities have asked us to locate this individual and ask him questions, what we’ve done,” said a spokesman for the police. “Its responses have been sent to Lebanon,” he added, noting that Igor Gretchouchkine had not been arrested but only questioned on the ship’s cargo at the request of the Interpol office in Lebanon.
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In Mozambique, “the authorities in the port of Beira were not informed of the arrival of Rhosus” has assured the port of Beira in a press release. The arrival of a ship in this port is to be announced 7 to 15 days in advance”, he added. But a senior port official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that “although the destination of the vessel was in Beira, the final destination of the cargo was not in Mozambique but Zimbabwe or Zambia because the ammonium nitrate used to manufacture explosives for the mining industry”. “And apparently this type of ammonium nitrate was not used in agriculture (such as fertilizer), but in the mining industry”, he continued.
Without the owner, the crew would have remained aboard for several months, with 2750 tonnes of chemical products, before this cargo shall not be discharged on the port and stored in the shed 12 of the port,” according to Badri Daher, director of the Customs of the Lebanon, from The East-to-Day. She remained there until August 4, 2020. The boat, damaged, eventually sank.
How the explosion is triggered ?
according to Badri Daher, the stock of ammonium nitrate was next to a “fireworks”. The lebanese authorities claim that the warehouse exploded after a fire. Port authorities, customs services and certain security services were all aware that materials, hazardous chemicals were stored there, but they are rejected each other’s responsibility.
In June 2019, the State security had launched an investigation on this cargo, after repeated complaints about foul smells that emanated from the hangar. She had reported that the warehouse contained “hazardous material it is necessary to move”, and said that the walls of the warehouse were lézardées and recommended that it be repaired.
The direction of the port, who was aware of the dangerous character of the goods, has finally sent a few days ago, workers seal the cracks of the warehouse. This work, according to the sources of security, would have been the cause of the tragedy. “It is an accident ( … ), the preliminary reports indicate that it is a bad management of explosives. This is a very serious neglect, which continued for six years,” said the lebanese minister of foreign Affairs.
Who are the suspects ?
At least sixteen officials of the port of Beirut and of the customs authorities, have been detained in the course of the investigation, announced on Thursday that the military prosecutor. It is “responsible to the board of directors of the port of Beirut and the customs administration, and responsible for the maintenance and (workers) had performed work in the hangar number 12”, which were stockées tons of ammonium nitrate, stated that the military prosecutor Fadi Akiki in a press release.
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“Sixteen people are being detained in the framework of the investigation,” said the statement, without specifying the date of their arrest, their identity or the charges against them. They were arrested Wednesday or Thursday, according to a source close to the folder.
