DECRYPTION
How could the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, be half destroyed? At the end of Tuesday afternoon, a first explosion was heard, followed by another very powerful which caused a gigantic mushroom of smoke in the sky. This devastating second explosion was so strong that it was recorded as a magnitude 3.3 earthquake. The blast was felt as far as the island of Cyprus, more than 200 kilometers from the port of Beirut, destroyed many buildings and caused the death of at least 100 people, while injuring more than 4,000.
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A large stock of ammonium nitrate stored "without precautionary measures"
According to the first elements of the investigation, some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored "without precautionary measures" in the port of Beirut, are at the origin of the power of the blasts. This substance is a very dangerous product which had already caused the explosion of the AZF factory in Toulouse in 2001, as we explain to you in this article. The large cargo was stored near a fireworks warehouse, assured Badri Daher, the director of Lebanese Customs, while questioning the management of the port, reports the reference daily L'Orient le Jour.
A fire that would have spread throughout the port
"It is unacceptable that a shipment of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse without precautionary measures. It is unacceptable and we cannot be silent", declared the Prime Minister before the Superior Council of Defense Tuesday evening. A source within the security services told AFP that the ammonium nitrate had been seized from a broken down boat six years ago and stored in hangar number 12 of the port, "without any follow-up". According to the first elements of the investigation, a fire broke out in hangar n ° 9 before spreading to hangar n ° 12, thus causing a chain reaction.
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According to the editor-in-chief of L'Orient le Jour , Emilie Sueur, invited this morning from Europe 1, "maintenance work in the port area" could have caused the disaster, something that the investigation has not yet demonstrated .
Several warnings on the ammonium nitrate stockpile, some dating from 2014
The negligence of the Lebanese authorities, in the aftermath of the tragedy, is singled out by the entire population. According to two documents that the Reuters news agency was able to consult, customs in 2016 and 2017 asked the courts to request the "relevant maritime agency" to re-export or approve the sale of ammonium nitrate unloaded and stored in hangar n ° 12, in order to ensure safety in the port. One of the documents refers to similar requests dating back to 2014 and 2015.
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Since Wednesday morning, the port management and customs have therefore transferred responsibility for the accident. But in the streets of Beirut, it is desolation and anger that reigns. "The Apocalypse", this morning's headline L'Orient le Jour. Since Tuesday evening, Europe 1 has received numerous testimonies from Lebanese, including that of Fouad Zmokhol, president of the local Medef. According to him, there is no doubt: the corruption of the ruling class is responsible for the disaster, because ammonium nitrate "has been stored for more than five years in the port, which, like all borders, depends on of State". If the ruling class knew it, "it is a crime and if it does not know it, it is a double crime", he denounced at our microphone.