Two years after the port explosion, the trauma of the Lebanese and the wounds of Beirut linger

Smoke rises from the site of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon August 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Text by: Paul Khalifeh Follow

3 mins

On August 4, 2020, a huge explosion, qualified as the third most powerful in history, shook Beirut and its suburbs.

Some 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar in the port, without precautionary measures, exploded for reasons still undetermined, causing a huge mushroom and an explosion heard as far as Cyprus, 260 kilometers away.

Two hundred and twenty people died, more than 6,500 were injured, 150 of whom were permanently disabled, and part of the Lebanese capital was destroyed.

Two years after the disaster, the Lebanese have not overcome their trauma.

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From our correspondent in Beirut,

The fear and panic movements observed among many residents during the collapse of part of the damaged silos on Sunday July 31 prove that the Lebanese have not overcome the consequences of

.

Dozens of people continue to receive psychological support, especially those who have lost a family member or loved one.

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Two years later, no clear answer has been given on the exact causes of the explosion and the investigation has become lost in the maze of politics.

Judge

contested by part of the political class and the families of the victims, has not yet published his indictment.

Admittedly, civil servants and port employees are locked up, but ex-ministers and deputies, prosecuted for “criminal negligence”, and protected by the highest state officials, are still running.

This impunity, for such an enormous tragedy, has accentuated the feeling of injustice that undermines the families of the victims and the Lebanese in general.  

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Beirut is slow to rebuild

The reconstruction of the capital is slow and very partial and that of the port has not yet started in earnest.

Admittedly, dozens of apartments have been rehabilitated, brand new sheds are visible in the port, life has resumed in the neighborhoods around the site of the explosion, but this is above all the result of private initiatives or support NGOs and associations.

The delay in the conclusions of the investigation prevents the payment of indemnities by the insurance companies.

The state has paid meager financial compensation but has not launched a reconstruction programme, simply because it does not have the means.

A view of the port of Beirut, August 3, 2022. AFP - IBRAHIM AMRO

Marches announced to commemorate the disaster

The Lebanese, at their head the families of the victims, want to celebrate this sad anniversary near the scene of the tragedy, despite the warnings of experts on the possibility of collapse at any time of damaged silos.

The committees of the families of the victims have called for a large mobilization.

Three steps are planned to converge, at the end of the afternoon this Thursday, facing the port.

The watchword is: “ 

 ” and “ 

”.

These steps have been maintained despite warnings from experts, including a French civil engineer, Emmanuel Durand, about the imminent collapse of four to ten silos, whose rate of inclination is increasing by 12 millimeters per hour. 

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