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The explosion in the port of Beirut is estimated to have left at least 300,000 people homeless. LEHTIKUvA / AFP
In Beirut, grief and despair combined with anger on Thursday as more and more people asked how it was possible for explosive ammonium nitrate to be stored in a city port for years with tons of explosives, even though it was known to be very dangerous.
The country’s administration, already plagued by unemployment, superinflation, millions of refugees and corruption, was, of course, the main target of the critics.
– It has always been clear to me that we are led by incompetent people and an incompetent government. But what has now happened is already completely criminal, Chadia Elmeouchi Nou, who lives in Beirut, gasped from her hospital year in a BBC interview.
According to Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center incubator, in all other countries, the government would have already packed its bags and resigned.
“Whatever the cause of the accident, it is based on criminal negligence,” Yahya explained.
– Beirut cries and screams: people are hysterical and they are tired, in turn, summed up the mood of filmmaker Jude Chehab Beirut.
The Lebanese judicial authorities have promised that those responsible for the accident will receive a “maximum penalty”. However, on Thursday, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch called for an independent and impartial inquiry into the accident because “we doubt the ability of the Lebanese legal system to do so.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in Beirut, also wanted Lebanon to embark on reforms at a rapid pace, or to continue to sink deeper into discipline.
“Largest non-nuclear explosions in history”
The explosion that almost completely destroyed downtown Beirut was huge. According to experts from the University of Sheffield interviewed by the BBC, the explosion was about a tenth the size of the Hiroshima atomic bomb and “arguably one of the largest explosions without nuclear material behind it”.
According to Badri Daher, director of the port customs authorities, customs had repeatedly requested that ammonium nitrate be removed from the port.
“I’ll leave it to the experts to find out why this didn’t happen,” Daher said.
Ammonium nitrate comes from the Moldovan-flagged and Russian-owned vessel Rhosus. The ship was en route from Georgia to Mozambique in 2013 when it received a technical failure and had to call at the port of Beirut.
In Beirut, Rhosus was investigated and was no longer allowed to continue its journey. The ship was threatened with a number of lawsuits, resulting in its owners abandoning the ship in the port of Beirut, the BBC told, referring to the Shiparrested.com website, which lists lawsuits against the ships.
Ammonium nitrate was first on board, from where it was eventually stored. According to port manager Hassan Koraytem, the port authorities were aware that the substance was dangerous, but had not been told it could cause a disaster.
The number of victims is expected to increase
The number of victims of the Beirut blast on Tuesday had risen to 135 on Thursday. However, the clearing work will take a long time, so more victims are likely to be found, as dozens of people are missing.
Germany reported that among the victims is one German diplomat who died at his apartment in downtown Beirut.
Local authorities have estimated that the blast left at least 300,000 people homeless and the material damage is in the billions of dollars.
An explosion investigation has also been launched in France. Authorities said on Wednesday that more than 20 French citizens were injured in the blast, according to current data.
Unicef’s Finnish branch has launched an emergency fundraiser to help children and families in Lebanon following the Beirut explosion. Finland’s World Vision also says that it will launch an emergency fundraiser due to what happened.
According to World Vision, up to half a million people may need emergency assistance due to the explosion. The greatest need is for food aid, safe accommodation and toiletries. In addition, children in particular need psychological support.
– Buildings have been destroyed or damaged uninhabitable, and families are short of basic supplies. People have had to seek shelter from schools, other public buildings or relatives, says Miikka Niskanen, World Vision’s Humanitarian Aid Manager, in a press release.
Unicef immediately assisted in the evacuation of residents of the port area. In addition, the organization is currently distributing clean water and providing psychosocial support to children and families.
– Every child is at least traumatized, says Yukie Mokuo, director of Unicef’s Lebanon Country Office, in a press release.
The organizations point out that the situation in Lebanon has already been difficult. According to Unicef, Lebanon is home to the largest number of refugees in the world in proportion to its population. About 30 percent of the country’s population, more than one in four residents, are refugees. Most are from Syria.
At the same time, the economy and food supply are in a weak spot, and the corona pandemic has put an extreme strain on health care.
Expert and material assistance from Finland
Finland will send expert and material assistance to Beirut, Lebanon, due to the explosion accident on Tuesday.
The aid is sent through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, to which Finland belongs. Lebanon has requested international assistance from the Mechanism.
By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland will send a team trained in international rescue operations to Beirut, as well as medical and hygiene supplies. Co-operation has been established with the Finnish Red Cross in the procurement and transport of supplies.
At least 135 people have been killed and thousands injured in an explosion in Beirut on Tuesday, according to news agency AFP. The number of casualties is still expected to rise as clearing work is in progress and dozens of people are missing.
The accident has caused material damage of several billion dollars.
Also a source for AFP.