The Lebanon army discovers 4,35 tons of more explosive chemicals outside the port of Beirut
After last month’s massive explosion that wreaked havoc in Lebanon port area, Thursday’s Lebanese army said it had discovered 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate near Beirut port entry.
According to an army announcement published by the state news agency NNA, military engineers were “dealing with it.” The statement said the chemicals were found nine south of the port’s entrance. Around 190 people were killed in the devastating August 4 blast that tore through the area.
The authorities said that it was triggered by around 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a port warehouse for years under unhealthy conditions. The explosion shook whole towns, damaged houses and injured 6,000 people.
Lebanon’s cabinet left in a country still kneeled by an economic recession amid public outrage. The public remains worried that more dangerous materials are being processed which puts them at risk badly. President Michel ordered repairs to old refuelling facilities at Beirut airport and called for an investigation into a study leaking thousands of litres of fuel
Head of Beirut airport Fadi el-Hassan told a news conference that in March 2019 a leak of 84,000 litres of fuel had occurred, and repairs were done in two months. He said the repairs were “satisfactory” by foreign inspectors Knowledge of the breach also contributed to public safety issues. “We are not expecting any attack,” Hassan told the news conference.