According to what AFP reporters on the ground saw on Tuesday, the entire northern section of the grain silos that were harmed by the horrific explosion that occurred in the port of Beirut in August 2020 crumbled.
This is the biggest dissection of the frivolity’s component parts to date, and it’s the fourth one in a month. There is still some of the southern part standing.
Following a fire that officials and experts believe was started by the fermentation of grain stocks that remained in the area after the explosion due to the high humidity and warmth, the silos collapsed a few weeks later. On July 31, the first piece fell; subsequent pieces fell on August 4, late on Sunday night, on Monday, and this morning.
The last eight remaining wheat silos on the northern side had fires blazing in new areas for hours, producing heavy smoke for days before they finally collapsed.
Emmanuel Durand, the engineer who put sensors within the silos, said the remaining southern mass has remained consistent so far.
On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion at the port of Beirut resulted in more than 6,500 injuries, over 200 fatalities, and significant property damage to both the facility and a number of nearby areas.
Authorities claim that enormous amounts of ammonium nitrate were negligently stored inside the port after a fire broke out whose origins were unknown, which led to the explosion.
Later, it was discovered that officials at various levels were aware of the risks associated with storing the material but took no action.
Political roadblocks have forced the inquiry into the explosion to be put on hold for months.
Fearing for public safety, the government decided to demolish the dumps last April, but it postponed the project in response to protests from civil rights organisations and the committee of families of the port explosion victims, who demanded that the dumps be moved to a landmark that had witnessed the explosion. The grain-filled silos were not emptied by the authorities.
Ali Hamiyah, the acting minister of works, revealed last week that the government had decided to set aside 25,000 square metres for the development of new silos in the Beirut port, with funds coming from both his ministry and international donors.
The effects of the explosion intensified Lebanon’s historically unprecedented economic collapse, which has driven the majority of Lebanese below the poverty line since the fall of 2019.
Even after two years, Beirut’s infrastructure is still in disrepair and its public amenities are severely damaged.
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The largest collapse.. the falling of new silos at the Beirut port
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