The consequences of explosions in Beirut on Tuesday - Lamaa / Magnus News / SIPA

The French and Lebanese soldiers cleared the site of the explosion at the port of Beirut a quantity of steel and cement equivalent to the weight of the Eiffel Tower. On August 4, a huge explosion devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital killing more than 180 people.

"It took me four days to clear 8,000 tonnes of cement and steel," said Lieutenant Paulin, a French officer coordinating the clearing operations at the port. 8,000 tonnes, the equivalent of the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

In devastated Beirut, 8,000 tons cleared, the weight of the Eiffel Tower https://t.co/sbetCYwUzG pic.twitter.com/aw9ZXld437

- FRANCE 24 French (@ France24_fr) August 26, 2020

A crater covered by the sea

The Tonnerre, a huge helicopter carrier of the French army, arrived in Beirut ten days after the explosion, with tons of humanitarian aid on board and dozens of specialized clearing equipment. The blast, one of the biggest in recent history, wiped out entire sectors of the port, left a 43m-deep crater now covered by the sea, and left more than 6,500 injured for miles around .

Colonel Youssef Haïdar, of the Lebanese army, said the port, through which about 90% of Lebanon's imports passed, was now operating at half its capacity. "Last week, it was at 30%, today we are talking about 45%", he declared during a press conference.

Shattered containers and collapsed warehouses

Three weeks after the explosion, for which the Lebanese authorities are held responsible by the population because of their negligence, the port remains a pile of destroyed cars, shattered containers and collapsed warehouses. The tragedy was caused, according to the authorities, by the presence of a huge amount of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port.

French and Lebanese soldiers are working to extract and set aside boxes of goods so that traders and insurance companies can get to the port in the coming days and assess the losses.

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