Huge fire breaks out at Beirut port a month after explosion

BEIRUT (AP) — A huge fire broke out Thursday at the Port of Beirut, sending up a thick column of black smoke and raising new panic among traumatized residents after last month’s catastrophic blast at the same site killed nearly 200 people.

It was unclear what caused the blaze at the facility, which was decimated by the Aug. 4 explosion when nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate blew up and sent out a shock wave that caused widespread damage and was felt as far away as the island of Cyprus.

Dark smoke covered the capital on Thursday as army helicopters sprayed water over the orange flames leaping from the ground.

The Lebanese army said the fire started in the port’s duty free zone at a warehouse with containers of tires, oil and other flammable materials.

Panicked residents — still struggling to recover from last month’s explosion — cracked open windows and called and texted each other to warn them of the new danger. Local TV stations said companies that have offices near the port asked employees to leave the area.

Some hid in bathrooms, while others dropped what they were doing and rushed home.

“We opened all windows and are in the corridor right now,” said Dana Awad, a mother of two girls in a Beirut neighborhood, recalling the tremor that preceded the earlier explosion. “I am still feeling the earth shake. Living a flashback.”

A video on social media showed port employees running in fear from the fire, a chilling reminder of the dozens of workers and 10 firefighters who were killed in the blast. Lebanese troops closed the major road near the port, rerouting traffic to other areas.

The Aug. 4 explosion killed 191 people, injured about 6,500 and damaged thousands of buildings. The explosion, the single most destructive blast in Lebanon’s history, is blamed on government negligence and mismanagement.

There was speculation in Beirut that Thursday’s fire could be an attempt to destroy evidence from the explosion. Port director Bassem al-Qaisi told Voice of Lebanon radio the fire started in a warehouse where barrels of cooking oil were placed and later spread nearby to where tires were piled.

“It is too early to now if it is the result of heat or some other mistake,” al-Qaissi said adding that the black smoke was from burning tires.

The panic was compounded by the fear that more chemicals could be in the wreckage of the port. Earlier this month, the army said it discovered more than 4 tons of ammonium nitrate in four containers stored near the port that it said were “dealt with.”

French and Italian chemical experts working amid the remains of the port identified more than 20 containers of dangerous chemicals. The army later said these containers were moved and stored safely away from the port.

Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud and authorities urged people to stay away from roads leading to the port to allow firefighters to move quickly.

It was the second fire at the port this week. On Tuesday, a small fire also created some panic, but it was quickly extinguished.

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Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed.

Associated Press

Lebanon information minister resigns in wake of deadly blast

BEIRUT  — Lebanon’s information minister resigned on Sunday as the country grapples with the aftermath of the devastating blast that ripped through the capital and raised public anger to new levels.

The resignation comes as public anger is mounting against the ruling elite, blamed for the chronic mismanagement and corruption that is believed to be behind the explosion in a Beirut Port warehouse. Hundreds of tons of highly explosive material were stored in the waterfront hangar, and a blast sent a shock wave that killed at least 160 people, wounded nearly 6,000, and defaced the coastline of Beirut — destroying hundreds of buildings.


Manal Abdel-Samad said in her resignation letter that change remained “elusive” and she regrets failing to fulfill the aspirations of the Lebanese people.

“Given the magnitude of the catastrophe caused by the Beirut earthquake that shook the nation and hurt our hearts and minds, and in respect for the martyrs, and the pains of the wounded, missing and displaced, and in response to the public will for change, I resign from the government,” she wrote.

In the country where civil war raged for 15 years, few, if any, have been held accountable for it and most of the warlords remain in power or leading powerful political factions.

On Sunday, France’s Ambassador to Lebanon said his country is taking part in the investigation of the Aug. 4 blast. Bruno Foucher tweeted that 46 officers are operating as part of the judicial investigation. That probe was started by a French prosecutor after a national of France, Jean-Marc Bonfils, was killed in the blast and others injured.

It is “a guarantee of impartiality and speed” in the investigation, Foucher tweeted.

The disaster fueled angry demonstrations Saturday where protesters set up gallows and nooses in central Beirut and held mock hanging sessions of cut-out cardboard images of top Lebanese officials.

Demonstrators held signs that read “resign or hang.” The protests quickly turned violent when the demonstrators pelted stones at the security forces, who responded with heavy volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets. One police officer was killed and dozens of people were hurt in confrontations that lasted for hours.

Protesters also fanned out around the city, storming a couple of government ministries. They briefly took over the foreign ministry, saying it will be the headquarters of their movement. In the economy and energy ministries, the protesters ransacked offices and seized public documents claiming they would reveal how corruption has permeated successive governments.

Five of the parliament’s 128 members have also announced their resignation since Saturday— including three legislators of the Christian Kataeb party, a member of the Socialist Progressive Party and an independent.


Abdel-Samad’s resignation comes amid reports that another government official — the environment minister — is expected to resign, adding to the challenges facing Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

Diab took over in January and has since been beset by crises.

The government, backed by the powerful militant Hezbollah group and its allies, announced it is defaulting on Lebanon’s sovereign debt and has since been engaged in difficult, internally divisive talks with the International Monetary Fund for assistance.

The coronavirus restrictions deepened the impact of the economic and financial crisis and fueled public anger against the new government. Lebanese have criticized Diab’s government for being unable to tackle the challenges, saying it represents the deep-seated political class that has had a hold of the country’s politics since the end of the civil war in 1990.

Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti resigned even before the blast, citing an absence of “effective will to achieve comprehensive structural reform” and competing leadership.

In a televised speech Saturday evening, Diab said the only solution was to hold early elections.

He called on all political parties to put aside their disagreements and said he was prepared to stay in the post for two months to allow time for politicians to work on structural reforms.

The offer is unlikely to soothe the escalating fury on the street. It is also expected to trigger lengthy discussions over the election law amid calls for introducing changes to the country’s sectarian-based representation system.

The information minister’s resignation comes ahead of an international conference co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres aimed at bringing donors together to supply emergency aid and equipment to Lebanon.

Previous offers of aid have been contingent on carrying out significant government reforms to tackle corruption.

Associated Press

Lebanon records first case of MERS virus

BEIRUT — Lebanon has recorded its first case of the often-fatal Middle East respiratory virus, the Health Ministry said Friday.

The virus was detected Thursday in a man who had checked into a local hospital after feeling ill, the ministry said. It said the case was not severe, and the man has since been discharged.

A ministry official said the patient had recently returned from a visit to several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom has been the focal point of the outbreak of the virus, known as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

MERS belongs to a family of viruses that include both the common cold and SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global outbreak in 2003. It can cause symptoms that include fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure.

Not everyone who contracts the virus that causes MERS gets sick, while others show only mild symptoms. There is no cure or vaccine.

Still, the threat from the virus has prompted health officials around the region to adopt protective measures to try to prevent the spread of the disease.

In Lebanon, the health minister on Thursday ordered that thermal cameras be set up at Beirut’s international airport to check arriving passengers for possible signs of fever, indicating a possible MERS infection.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net