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Container terminal in Beirut back in operation after explosions

2020-08-12T00:25:15.854Z


The logistics company Hapag-Lloyd has announced that the container terminal in Beirut will be returned to. The area is crucial for supplying the city.


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The port area right after the disaster

Photo: Hussein Malla / dpa

The container terminal in the port of Beirut is apparently back in operation after the devastating explosions. The German logistics company Hapag-Lloyd announced this in a customer letter. "We are happy to be able to inform you that the container terminal has only suffered minor damage and was able to resume operations," it says there. The French shipping company CMA CGM also confirmed that their ships are already calling at the port again.

Last week, according to government reports, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been stored unsecured for years, exploded. Numerous buildings in the vicinity of the port were destroyed by the pressure wave. Because Lebanon imports a large part of its goods, supply bottlenecks were feared. Ships were diverted to Tripoli and other ports in the region prior to reopening.

Beirut commemorates the victims of the disaster

The area around the destroyed port was also the scene of a memorial service for the residents of Beirut on Tuesday. At the time of the explosion at 6:08 p.m., bells rang out and calls to prayer from the mosques. Hundreds of white-clad people gathered near the port. Many carried posters with the names of their relatives and friends who had been killed in the accident.

Videos of the explosions and people fleeing in panic were shown on a big screen. "We will not mourn, we will not wear black until we have buried all who are in power," said one speaker. The disaster killed more than 170 people and injured thousands. The property damage runs into the billions.

Heiko Maas travels to Beirut

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) wants to travel to Beirut on Wednesday to get his own picture of the destruction. In response to the explosion and subsequent protests critical of the government, the Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation of his entire cabinet on Monday.

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bah / jok / Reuters / AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2020-08-12

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