Lebanon: the authorities reconsider the decision to completely demolish the silos of the port of Beirut
A photo taken on August 12, 2022 shows part of the medium grain silos at the port of Beirut which collapsed earlier this week.
The heavily damaged silos have become a grim reminder of the August 4, 2020 explosion of an ammonium nitrate fertilizer stockpile that had caught fire.
AFP - JOSEPH EID
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The Lebanese authorities returned on Wednesday August 17 to the decision taken in April 2022 to completely demolish the silos of the port of Beirut, badly damaged during the explosion of August 4, 2020. This measure had provoked the indignation of part of the public opinion and the families of the victims of this disaster, which left 220 dead and 6,500 injured.
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With our correspondent in Beirut
,
Paul Khalifeh
An agreement reached on Wednesday by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and two deputies close to the families of the victims and the protest relates to the demolition of the northern part of the silos, which threatens to collapse due to a fire which has been raging since the beginning. July.
Clear the rubble
The demolition of the northern part, whose inclination in relation to the rest of the structure is clearly visible, will make it possible to clear the rubble and extinguish the fire of hundreds of tons of rotten cereals, due to the heat and the fermentation. .
The southern part of the silos can then be consolidated to become a "
silent witness
" to the tragedy of August 4, 2020, as desired by the relatives of the victims.
►
To read also
: Lebanon: new collapse of silos on the 2nd anniversary of the explosion in the port of Beirut
The fire weakened the imposing concrete structure, part of which
collapsed on July 31
.
Several cylinders then collapsed on August 4, during a march commemorating the 2nd anniversary of the explosion.
The fire has flared up again in the past two days, raising fears of a third collapse.
memory of the city
Built in the 1960s, the silos of Beirut, with a capacity of 120,000 tons, are now linked to the memory of the city.
The huge concrete structure contained the blast from the explosion of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, sparing the western part of the capital from the destruction that hit the eastern sectors.
►
To read also
: Two years after the explosion of the port, the trauma of the Lebanese and the wounds of Beirut persist
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