Judge named to lead Beirut blast probe
BEIRUT: Ten days ater the deadly Beirut explosion, rescue workers recovered the remains of firefighters killed while batling the initial blaze, as authorities appointed a well-respected judge to lead the investigation.
Beirut, brought to its knees by the cataclysmic explosion, has seen the arrival of a string of highlevel international envoys, a sign that Lebanon has returned to the centre of struggles for regional influence.
Protesters filled the streets and clashed with security forces in the days ater the explosion, blaming their political leaders for the negligence they say led to the disaster that killed 171 people and wounded at least 6,500.
At the now-devastated port, rescue workers continued to recover the remains of those killed by the ignition of a huge shipment of ammonium nitrate fertiliser let unsecured in a warehouse for six years.
Relatives of three firefighters from the same family, who had been at the port atempting to put out the fire thought to have ignited the blast, were informed that the remains of two of them had been identified by DNA analysis.
“I don’t have words to describe the fire that consumes us. Imagine geting to the point of being happy to have found the remains of two among you,” said Antonella Hiti on Facebook, ater learning that the remains of her brother Najib, 27, and her cousin Charbel, 22, had been identified.
“We’re not organising funerals before finding Charbel Karam,” the third missing firefighter from the family, relative Mayane Nassif said.
The remains of seven of the 10 firefighters who responded to the initial blaze have now been found.
On Thursday, rescue workers also found the body of a young man at the wheel of his car that had been thrown into the sea by the blast.
Public anger at the negligence that allowed hazardous materials to be let in a warehouse in the heart of the capital despite repeated warnings has reignited a protest movement that had largely fizzled out in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In an earthquake, it’s easier because we can understand ... how it moves. But in this case, we didn’t have enough elements to understand what happened,” said Alberto Boanini, a member of the Italian rescue team.
The team has seen its share of quakes and forest fires, but nothing quite like the port in Beirut, where he said it was hard to fathom what could level it so completely.