Officials try to shift blame over blast
Warning by Macron that nation ‘could sink’
WORLD: Lebanese officials targeted in the investigation into the massive blast that tore through Beirut have sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the city’s port.
It comes as visiting French President Emmanuel Macron warned that without serious reforms the country will “continue to sink”.
LEBANESE OFFICIALS targeted in the investigation into the massive blast that tore through Beirut have sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the city’s port.
It comes as visiting French President Emmanuel Macron warned that without serious reforms the country will “continue to sink”.
The blast on Tuesday, which appeared to have been caused by an accidental fire that ignited a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate at the city’s port, rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 135 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing widespread destruction.
It also may have accelerated the country’s coronavirus outbreak, as thousands flooded into hospitals in the wake of the blast.
Tens of thousands of people have also been forced to move in with relatives and friends after their homes were damaged, further raising the risks of exposure.
Mr Macron visited yesterday amid widespread pledges of international aid.
But Lebanon was already mired in a severe economic crisis.
It is unclear how much support the international community will offer the notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional government.
Mr Macron, who viewed the devastated port and was to meet senior Lebanese officials, said the visit is “an opportunity to have a frank and challenging dialogue with the Lebanese political powers and institutions”.
He said France will work to coordinate aid but warned “if reforms are not made, Lebanon will continue to sink”.
Later, as he toured one of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods, an angry crowd vented its fury at Lebanon’s political leaders, chanting “revolution” and “the people want to bring down the regime”, slogans used during mass protests last year.
Mr Macron said he was not there to endorse the regime and vowed French aid will not fall into the “hands of corruption”.
Losses from the blast are estimated to be between £7.6bn to £11.4bn, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud told the Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath on Wednesday, adding nearly 300,000 people are homeless.
The head of Lebanon’s customs department meanwhile confirmed in an interview with LBC TV that officials had sent five or six letters over the years to the judiciary asking the ammonium nitrate be removed because of the dangers it posed.
But Badri Daher said all he could do was alert authorities to the presence of dangerous materials, saying even that was “extra work” for him and his predecessor. He said the port authority was responsible for the material, while his job was to prevent smuggling and collect duties.
The judiciary and the port authority could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Government said on Wednesday that port officials have been placed under house arrest.