Sunday saw the partial collapse of grain silos at Beirut’s blast-damaged port, four days before the second anniversary of the catastrophic explosion in the Lebanese capital in 2020.
Grain silos at the Beirut port have collapsed owing to a weeks-long fire
The northern portion of the silos had collapsed due to a weeks-long fire that had blown enormous smoke clouds across the port.
The route near the port was closed to traffic after the fall.
Lebanese MP Najat Aoun, who was present at the port, told that the fall caused no damage, citing the presence of civil defense troops in the region.
Aoun, also a chemistry professor, noted that there was no danger to the health of Beirut’s residents, as the wind soon dispersed the dust.
Environment Minister Nasser Yassin warned on Friday that the grain silos at the port could collapse at any time and that 200,000 masks had been distributed to protect residents from air pollution.
Two years ago, on August 4, a tremendous explosion rocked the Port of Beirut, killing 200 people and injuring nearly 6,000 more, and leaving a massive destruction trail. The explosion was caused by the inappropriate storage of 2,750 tons of dangerous nitrate ammonium at the port.
