More parts of Beirut port's damaged grain silos collapse
Already damaged by port blast in Lebanon's capital 2 years ago, silos further damaged in recent fires
A general view of the grain silo that collapsed before the commemoration ceremony to be held for the 2nd anniversary of the great port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon on August 04, 2022. ( Hussam Shbaro - Anadolu Agency )
BEIRUT
More parts of the damaged grain silos at Beirut's port collapsed on Thursday, coinciding with the second anniversary of the blast that killed hundreds.
An Anadolu Agency correspondent on the site confirmed the collapse of four grain silos in the northern part of the port. Dust blanketed the surrounding areas following the collapse of large sections of the silos, which had already been damaged by a weeks-long fire that occurred close to the site of the massive blast.
The port explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, which shook the entire capital city of Beirut, destroyed large portions of the silos.
More than 200 people were killed, 6,500 were injured, and 50,000 homes were damaged, with material losses estimated to be around $15 billion.
On July 25, the environment and health ministries issued a warning about the danger of parts of the grain silos collapsing as a result of fires that broke out earlier that month.
All attempts to retrieve grain stored in certain pockets of the silos failed because of their condition, which endangers the safety of any intervention process.
*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara
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