The streets of Beirut, which are usually crowded with pedestrians and shoppers, were empty today, Friday, and shops closed their doors, while memories of one of the most terrifying days in modern Lebanese history hang over heads, but declaring today an occasion of national mourning throughout the country is not the goal of what the families of the victims of the port explosion wish. Beirut, religious notables, and human rights groups at home and abroad.
On this day, on the fourth of August 2020, just after 1600 GMT, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in the port exploded, which led to a huge cloud of smoke rising over the city, and at least 220 people died, thousands were injured, and vast areas of City to sad ruins.
However, despite the destruction, none of the prominent figures was held accountable, while the investigation was hampered by legal procedures, which sparked a wave of anger in Lebanon and abroad.
The survivors of the explosion and the families of the victims say that the absence of accountability increases their suffering and makes them feel as if their lives stopped at that painful time in 2020.
Rita Hitti lost her son (26 years old), her sister-in-law (34 years old) and her nephew (21 years old), all of whom worked at the Beirut fire station. They responded to a report of a fire in the port on the fourth of August, and they were all killed when the terrible explosion occurred.
“They were at the cost of their lives. Their lives were bombed, and they killed us with them,” Rita told Reuters.
With difficulty, many of the shops and restaurants destroyed by the explosion were rebuilt, to be accepted by tourists and Lebanese expatriates who kept flocking to them until late Thursday evening.
But the streets, usually crowded on a Friday, are empty as the sun rises today, marking the day of national mourning.
It is believed that the explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse. The chemicals had been stored at the port since 2013 when they were unloaded during a sudden stop by a ship, but no one claimed the shipment and it remained there despite senior officials knowing of its existence.
The investigation, led by Judge Tariq Bitar, has been stalled since late 2021 due to a large number of legal complaints filed against him by some suspects, including current and former officials.
In a mass held by the church on the eve of the anniversary of the explosion, the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, supported calls for the formation of an international fact-finding committee and called for stopping interference in the investigation.
“What hurts these families and hurts us the most is the indifference of state officials who are preoccupied with their own interests and cheap accounts,” Al-Rai said.
The explosion occurred at a time when Lebanon was already suffering under the weight of a financial collapse that began in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic. The economic collapse has worsened since then, the lira has lost 98% of its value, and people have become poorer.
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2023-08-04 14:43:15
