Anger erupts on streets of Beirut over horror blast

BEIRUT was braced for a weekend of protests yesterday after crowds took to the streets over the giant port explosion.

Security forces fired tear gas in Lebanon’s capital but protesters furious with its rulers refused to back down as the blast death toll rose to 149, with 5,000 injured.

President Michel Aoun raised tensions by claiming there was no need for an international inquiry while suggesting a foreign ‘rocket or bomb’ was responsible for Tuesday’s blast in a warehouse packed with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate fertiliser.

It is not clear what caused the explosion, a fifth the size of Hiroshima and equivalent to an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale. Work had recently begun on repairs to the warehouse, while others suspect fireworks stored nearby.

The government investigation is focusing on port and customs officials, with 16 detained so far. But many Lebanese say the blast points to a deeper rot that permeates the political system, including the country’s top leadership.

Lebanon’s ambassador to Jordan resigned, saying it was ‘because of the theft, because of the lies’.

A leading opposition figure blamed the ‘corrupt’ government and terror group Hezbollah. Bahaa Hariri – whose father, prime minister Rafik Hariri, was assassinated in 2005 – said ‘everyone’ in the city knew Hezbollah controlled Beirut’s port and it was inconceivable the authorities were unaware the deadly ammonium nitrate was stored there.