08/04/2020 - 19:02
- Clarín.com
- World
The preliminary conclusions of the Lebanese authorities place the origin of the huge explosion that killed at least 73 people on Tuesday and left more than 3,700 injured in Beirut,capital of Lebanon , the nearly 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had stored in a warehouse in the port of the capital since 2014 , local media reported LBCI.
The country's Cabinet will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to address the disaster, the Lebanese Presidency reported on its Twitter account. The Government of the Republic decreed a state of emergency in Beirut for a period of two weeks.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he will not be "satisfied" until he finds those responsible, while calling "unacceptable" the fact that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate remained in storage for six years without security measures.
Although there is still no detailed official explanation for the explosions, Lebanon's chief of Homeland Security, Abbas Ibrahim, told reporters, after visiting the devastated area, that the blasts occurred in the Beirut port area, in a section that stores Highly explosive materials, though not fireworks, as previously reported, according to the official state news agency NNA.
Ibrahim participated in an emergency meeting of the Government Defense Council and when he left explained that, at the time of the explosion, there were 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated six years ago and left there, without further precautions.
Shortly afterwards, President Michel Aoun assured on his Twitter that it is "unacceptable" that this chemical deposit existed without security measures and promised "harsh sanctions" for those responsible.
In videos recorded by residents, a fire is seen in the port, causing a huge column of smoke, illuminated by flashes of what appeared to be pyrotechnics. Originally , the blast had been reported to have occurred at a fireworks depot near the port, according to the Lebanese state news agency ANN.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health places the dead at over 73 and the injured at 3,700 left by the incident. Among the deceased is the general secretary of the Lebanese Phalanx political party, Nazar Najarian.
Images released on social networks showed the moment of the detonation that caused a large mushroom cloud rising in the sky and a strong shock wave that has affected several neighborhoods of the city and caused material damage.
The authorities have given an order to mobilize the Army, enable hospital facilities to care for the wounded, and provide shelter to all those who have been displaced by the explosion.
Source: AFP and EFE