BEIRUT — Grain silos at
Beirut’s blast-hit port are at risk
of collapsing after a fire this month, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister said
Wednesday, a week before the explosion’s second anniversary.
اضافة اعلان
“The northern group of silos are now in danger of
falling,”
Najib Mikati announced in a statement that said the silos still
contained thousands of tonnes of wheat and corn.
The warning comes two weeks after a fire erupted in
the port’s northern silos due to the fermentation of the remaining grain stocks
along with soaring summer temperatures.
The blaze reignited trauma among Lebanese gearing up
to mark the anniversary of the devastating explosion that killed more than 200
people and injured more than 6,500 on August 4, 2020.
It was caused by a stockpile of haphazardly stored
ammonium nitrate fertilizer catching fire.
Mikati told the army to prepare for the partial
collapse of the silos and warned workers, civil defense members and
firefighters to keep a safe distance from the site.
Authorities were unable to unload around 3,000
tonnes of wheat and corn stuck in the silos because doing so might accelerate
their collapse, the statement said.
The environment and health ministries advised the
public to evacuate the port area and use masks in the vicinity of the silos in
case they do collapse.
They also warned residents of the area to close
their doors and windows for 24 hours.
Once boasting a capacity of more than 100,000
tonnes, an imposing 48-meter high remnant of the silos has become emblematic of
the catastrophic port blast.
The government in April ordered their demolition due
to safety concerns, but that move has since been suspended amid objections,
including from relatives of blast victims who want the silos preserved as a
memorial site.
The Lebanese investigation into the blast has faced
systematic and blatant political obstruction from day one.
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