The Lebanese are showing solidarity with each other in order to jointly overcome the consequences of the humanitarian disaster caused by the explosion of chemicals in the seaport of Beirut. According to a TASS correspondent, there is a tent camp on Sassine square in the Christian Achrafieh district, where hot food, water and basic necessities are distributed free of charge to the affected families.
"It is our duty to help those who were left homeless, whose homes were destroyed by the explosion," says a teacher Roger, one of the initiators of the charity event for the Lebanese public. According to him, many citizens came to Sassine square on Wednesday because they were left without means of livelihood. "The number of such people is growing steadily, and we continue to collect food and necessary things for them," says Roger.
According to the city authorities, at least 300 thousand residents of the capital were left homeless. The total damage to the housing stock is estimated at $15 billion. The greatest destruction was recorded in the historical quarters of the Christian part of Beirut-Achrafieh, Gemmayzeh, Saifi, Mar Mikael, as well as the Armenian district of Bourj Hammoud. From there, a significant number of victims were admitted to hospitals.
As stated by the Minister of Health of Lebanon Hamad Hassan, the death toll increased by the end of Wednesday to 135 people (Al Jazeera reported 137 dead), 80 are missing, about 5 thousand were injured. According to the Minister, about two thousand patients have already left hospitals.
Consequences on a par with September 11
However, in addition to the harm to health, people experienced a terrible shock. In this regard, local analysts thought about the psychological consequences of the tragedy in the seaport.
As political analyst Basil Mahfouz noted in an interview with TASS, explosions in Lebanon often occurred in previous years: in 2005, a terrorist attack on the Beirut embankment ended the life of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who made a great contribution to the country's economic revival after the civil war of 1975-1990. This political murder is being investigated by a Special Tribunal in the Hague, which is due to rule on the case on August 18.
"The current explosion, however, in its scale and consequences is comparable rather to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York, which were accompanied by mass shock and panic," Mahfouz believes.
A number of Lebanese politicians propose to involve international experts in the investigation of the causes of the tragedy. This was stated on Wednesday, in particular, by the leader of the Al-Mustaqbal opposition movement, Sunni politician Saad Hariri and the leader of Lebanon's Druze Walid Jumblatt.
French President Emmanuel Macron intends to offer services in conducting a thorough investigation of the circumstances under which more than 2.7 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate confiscated by customs services were detonated in a warehouse in the port. On Thursday, he will arrive in Beirut and hold talks with Lebanese leaders. Macron is also preparing to act as a peacemaker and establish a dialogue between the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the opposition.
Investigation of the causes of the explosion
According to local authorities, the cause of the tragedy was the detonation of more than 2.7 thousand tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the warehouse, confiscated by customs services from the Rhosus ship six years ago.
According to the source, on August 4, a fire started in one of the warehouses of the port, which then spread to a warehouse with saltpeter, followed by an explosion. The source indicated that the inspection, which was dealing with the problem of storing explosive substances on the territory of the port, drew attention to violations six months ago. However, no action was taken.
The head of the Lebanese customs service, Badri Daher, said that customs and the General Directorate of public security had repeatedly asked to remove dangerous goods from the port, but their requests were ignored for six years.
According to Interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy, the Lebanese authorities will conduct the investigation themselves and do not consider it necessary to involve international experts in it. The authorities promise to complete the investigation of all the circumstances of the incident within five days.
The owner of the vessel, from which, presumably, the ammonium nitrate was confiscated, was an entrepreneur from Khabarovsk, Igor Grechushkin.
The government of Lebanon has ordered the port authority to be placed under house arrest until the responsibility of specific officials for the explosion is determined.
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Photo: Hassan Ammar / AP / TASS