The two huge explosions that occurred on Tuesday in the harbour of the capital of Lebanon have been 137 deaths, according to the last official assessment, and thousands of injured.
At least 137 dead and 5,000 wounded, destruction and damage countless… Of the outbreaks have devastated many districts of Beirut on Tuesday after the explosion of a stock of ammonium nitrate. This Wednesday, in the aftermath of the double explosion and devastation, it is the amazement that exists in the lebanese capital. The Express summarizes the main information of the day related to this drama.
At least 137 people dead and thousands injured
The two huge explosions in the port of Beirut have done on Tuesday, at least 137 people dead, according to the latest official toll, at least 5000 wounded, while dozens of people are unaccounted for. The research is still ongoing in the neighbourhoods around the port of Beirut, the streets are littered with debris of collapsed buildings. Everywhere in the city, Beyrouthins were injured by glass shattered by the blast of the explosions.
According to the governor of Beirut Marwan Abboud, up to 300,000 people are without homes due to the damages, which extend to nearly half of the city and are estimated to be more than three billion dollars (2.53 billion euros).
summer Offer : Take advantage of the special offer 2 months for€ 1 I would like to subscribe
The controversy over the storage of ammonium nitrate
About 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored in the warehouse of the port of Beirut has exploded, said the lebanese Prime minister, Hassan Diab. According to the director of the Sureté general, Abbas Ibrahim, the cargo of ammonium nitrate, a chemical fertilizer and also a component of explosives, was stored for years in the warehouse, nearby districts very popular.
The port authorities, customs and security services were all aware that materials, hazardous chemicals were stored at the port but were denied each other the responsibility of the file, indicated sources of security to the AFP.
READ ALSO >> Explosions in Lebanon : the ammonium nitrate, which is already responsible for the disaster AZF
In 2013, the Rhosus, flying the flag of moldova and from Georgia, made a stopover at Beirut, en route to Mozambique, according to a security source, carrying 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. According to lebanese security sources, while the Rhosus was in transit to Beirut, a leading lebanese would have filed a complaint against the company to which the vessel belonged, pushing the local justice to seize the boat. The load was placed in the hangar number 12, devoted to the seized goods.
In June 2019, the State security has launched an investigation on this cargo, after repeated complaints about foul smells that emanated from the hangar. In its report, it was reported that the warehouse contained “hazardous material it is necessary to move”. She also indicated that the walls of the warehouse were lézardées, which made flight possible, and recommended that it be repaired. The direction of the port, who was aware of the dangerous character of the goods, has finally sent some workers to patch up the cracks of the warehouse. This work, according to the sources of security, would have been the cause of the tragedy, according to the authorities.
Hassan Diab said that it was “inadmissible that a cargo of ammonium nitrate is present in the last six years in a warehouse, without measures of precaution”. “This is unacceptable, and we can’t silence us on this issue,” he added. The government has claimed on Wednesday the arrest of the persons responsible for this storage.
The parquet de Paris opened an investigation
The prosecutor’s office in Paris said in a statement Wednesday that at least 21 French had been wounded in the explosions in the port of Beirut and announced the opening of an investigation for “involuntary injury”. The investigation was initiated by the pôle accidents collective of the parquet de Paris, under its jurisdiction in respect of acts committed abroad when the French are among the victims. The investigations are entrusted to the general directorate of the national gendarmerie.
Emmanuel Macron in Beirut Thursday
Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday in Lebanon after the explosions that have devastated Beirut. On Thursday, the French head of State, accompanied by the minister of foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, will meet with “all political actors” in Lebanon including the lebanese president Michel Aoun and Prime minister Hassan Diab. He says he wants to “bring the message of brotherhood and solidarity of the French people” and to “focus on the situation with the political authorities”, said the president of the Republic in a tweet.
international assistance multiplies
So that NGOS are launching calls for donations, international aid, including Kuwait, France, Egypt, Greece, or even of Qatar, and institutions have started to arrive this Wednesday at Lebanon. The United States, Iran, and even the sworn enemy Israel have also offered their assistance.
the first French aircraft flew mid-day from Marseille with myvehicles of emergency and a medical team of nine people for the Lebanon, according to the communication service of the marine brigade. They boarded a private plane made available by Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of lebanese origin of the CMA-CGM, one of the world leaders of maritime transport.
READ ALSO >> Lebanon : why the port of Beirut, devastated, was vital for the country’s economy
An Airbus A330 took off a little after 17 hours of Roissy, near Paris, with on board some fifty people from the civil security, said the prefecture delegated to the airports. A second aircraft, a military aircraft Airbus A400, was in the end of the day in the course of loading of specific equipment. It will carry 15 tonnes of equipment and is expected to arrive in Beirut later in the night.
Read our complete file
Double explosion in Beirut
Alexandre Najjar : “No, Lebanon cannot die,” Origin, suspicious, trigger: where is the investigation on the explosion at the port of Beirut? In Beirut, Macron refutes any “interference” and denounced the “organized corruption”
Italy has sent this Wednesday in Beirut 14 firefighters with expertise in the assessment of chemical hazards and damaged structures after the explosions that ravaged the port of the lebanese capital.
