• In Beirut at least 157 dead and 5 thousand injured. Italian military wounded: very loud, indescribable roar
  • Beirut, Farnesina sources: Italian death in the explosion
  • Explosions in Beirut: the European satellite shows damage over 4 square kilometers
  • Destruction and death in Beirut, the testimony of witnesses: "It was hell"

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07 August 2020 The anger of the Lebanese exploded in the night, after the devastating explosion that on Tuesday destroyed part of Beirut, the capital of a country torn by a serious economic crisis. The BBC reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces, who used tear gas against dozens of demonstrators near Parliament, in the heart of Beirut, a few hours after the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the Lebanese news agency NNA, which talks about several wounded, the demonstrators threw stones and stones at the agents.


There is also a 92-year-old Italian among the 157 people who died in the powerful explosion that devastated Beirut last Tuesday. And among the 5 thousand wounded there are at least ten Italians. A balance that of the victims of a disaster from the causes yet to be clarified that unfortunately could still rise. The Italian dead was Maria Pia Livadiotti, born in Beirut in 1928 and registered in the Rome registry of citizens residing abroad. As reported by the embassy, ​​the 92-year-old died at home, probably due to a head injury due to the impact force of the explosion, which sowed victims several kilometers away from the site of the explosion. On his body there were no signs of injury from splinters or plates. Maria Pia Livadiotti was one of the longest-lived Italians in Beirut and almost always lived in the Lebanese capital. She was the widow of Lutfallah Abi Sleiman, former medical officer of the Italian embassy in Beirut. Her son said that he too had been slightly injured on the street, that he had found his mother lying on the ground on his return home and that he had understood that unfortunately she was already dead.   

The story of the old Italian mingles with that of the over 150 people who lost their lives in the tragedy of August 4th. Among them stands the sad story of a Syrian woman and her four children, all dead a few hours before boarding a plane that would take them to Germany, where the husband and father of the children awaited them.   

It was one of countless Syrian families who pass through Beirut fleeing the war in Syria. Mom and her children had arrived in Beirut in recent days and were staying in a pension not far from the port. The explosion ripped apart the walls and windows of their room and, according to sources, all died instantly.   

Although the count of injured and dead continues, most of the 5,000 injured have been treated in the last 8 hours in hospitals that remained functioning after the explosion. Among them are at least ten Italians, slightly injured according to sources from the Farnesina.   

Meanwhile, the Union of hospitals in Lebanon makes it known that there is no real need to set up field hospitals, as done by Russia and as Iran is preparing to do, because the peak pressure on hospitals is already exceeded.

Funds for Beirut hospitals from the
United Nations The United Nations will allocate funds to assist Beirut hospitals in first aid operations and to improve reception capacity following the double explosion that hit Beirut on Tuesday. The UN spokesman Farhan Haq has announced this, explaining that the sums will be used for the intensive care units and will provide first aid kits, fans, medicines and medical devices. Haq then explained that the United Nations is making an estimate of the damage and needs resulting from the explosion and will launch an appeal to raise funds. '' For sure, Lebanon will have substantial aid, from that for the hospital system to food supplies, to covering the costs for long-term reconstruction, '' he added.

Macron in Beirut on the destroyed roads: "Lebanon is not alone"
"Lebanon is not alone" said French President Emmanuel Macron arriving at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, where he visited the site of the devastating explosions that caused at least 137 dead and 5,000 injured. Macron then went on foot to the destroyed neighborhoods to see the damage and meet the survivors with his own eyes and responded to requests for help stating that he wanted to "propose a new pact for Lebanon" in meetings with the authorities. "The primary goal of this trip is to bring all the solidarity of France and the French people to the Lebanese people," he said after meeting with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and President of Parliament Nabih Berri in the presidential palace. A meeting in which he underlined the importance of "a rapid and transparent investigation" on the causes of the explosion at the port, as well as urging strong political initiatives to resolve the economic crisis taking place in Lebanon. "I spoke frankly to the three presidents about the need to fight corruption, implement reforms, conduct a transparent investigation into what is happening in the banking system and continue dialogue with the International Monetary Fund - added the president - Lebanon suffers for years for an economic and financial crisis for the solution of which serious political initiatives are needed ".

IMF: facing economic and social crisis
The International Monetary Fund urges Lebanon to face "the profound economic and social crisis" that has been going on for years and to overcome "the impasse in the discussions on the crucial reforms" that it is leading with the organization. In a note, two days after the devastating explosions of Beirut, the director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, writes: "After the terrible tragedy in Lebanon, it is time for national unity, to overcome this disaster, and to face the profound economic and social crisis that the country continues to experience ". Georgieva says that the Fund "is exploring all possible ways to support the Lebanese people: it is essential to overcome the impasse in the discussions on crucial reforms and to put in place a significant program that will boost the economy and build confidence in the future of the Country". In March Lebanon declared a partial default in the impossibility of repaying an IMF 10 billion loan, but the bailout talks have been stalled for weeks.

Cyprus police interrogate shipowner loaded with ammonium nitrate
The Cypriot police interrogated a Russian citizen about his alleged ties to the ship carrying the ammonium nitrate load then stored in the port of Beirut and exploded in the Lebanese capital. "The Lebanese authorities asked us to locate the man and ask him some questions, which we did," said a Cypriot police spokesman. "His deposition was sent to Lebanon," the spokesman said, stating that Igor Grechushkin was not arrested, but was interrogated on issues related to loading the ship as requested by Interpol Lebanon.   

Today the Cypriot Interior Minister had denied the media rumors that Grechushkin also had a Cypriot passport. According to the Cypriot newspaper Politis, Grechushkin is resident in the southern port city of Limassol, one of the world's largest ship management centers. In 2013, approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate arrived in Lebanon on the Rhosus Ship, sailed from Georgia and bound for Mozambique, said a Lebanese security source who requested anonymity. The Russian had chartered the ship which was forced to dock at the port of Beirut due to a technical problem, but which was later seized by the authorities following a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company against the shipowner.

16 Beirut port workers arrested 16 port
staff were arrested for the Beirut explosion The Lebanese state-run news agency cited sources in the Lebanese prosecutor's office and explained that there are 16 Beirut port employees arrested for the Beirut port This week's explosion killed over 100 people and injured thousands.