At the end of July, a fire had declared itself in the most damaged part of the silos still present on the port, two years after the destruction of the site.
Le Monde
Two years, day to the day, after the devastating explosion of August 4, 2020 in the port of Beirut, part of the damaged grain silos collapsed on Thursday, when demonstrators went to tributes organized for The birthday of the drama. This is the second accident in four days in the Lebanese capital, after the collapse of two other silos on Sunday. A cloud of dust again covered the port, according to the images transmitted by the France-Presse agency (AFP).
More than two weeks ago, a fire broke out in the most damaged part of the silos, caused according to the authorities and experts by the fermentation of remaining cereal stocks, combined with high temperatures. The flames and smoke remained visible for several days. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned last week that part of the silos was likely to collapse and called for the army and the management of disaster management to be “under alert”.
“I see the same scene, almost the same place, two years later,” said Lama Hachem, 30, to AFP in the city center of Beirut, observing a cloud of dust emanating from the port. “It’s shocking that the same scene repeats itself before us today,” she added, holding her tears in shock. 2> Lebanon had ordered the demolition of the silos in April
Some parts of the silos still contain some 3,000 tonnes of wheat and other cereals that could not be removed because of the danger of collapse, according to the authorities. The Ministries of the Environment and Health have issued recommendations for the public in the event of collapse of silos, in particular the need to evacuate the area, wear masks and close the housing windows. In April, Lebanon had ordered the demolition of the silos, but the decision was suspended due to the opposition of the relatives of the victims of the drama who want to make it a place of memory.
The fire rekindled the trauma of relatives of victims of the explosion of August 4, 2020, which left more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured and devastated from the entire districts of the Lebanese capital. The explosion had been triggered in a warehouse sheltering hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored without precaution. Touched hard by the breath of the explosion, the grain silos of the port had partially collapsed.