© AFP / Magazine image
The explosion on Tuesday is said to have been caused by ammonium nitrate stored in the port. LEHTIKUvA / AFP
AFP
In Lebanon, the number of victims of the explosion in the capital, Beirut, on Tuesday is still rising. Late Thursday, the death toll was already known 149, according to the news agency AFP.
A huge explosion in the port injured more than 5,000 people. The missing are still being sought. Local authorities have estimated that the explosion left at least 300,000 people homeless. The material damage is several billion dollars.
The explosion is said to have been caused by ammonium nitrate stored in the port. Indeed, one key issue in the city is how explosive ammonium nitrate could be stored in the port for years with tons of explosives, even though it was known to be very dangerous.
On Thursday night, citizens ’frustration with the country’s government erupted as a demonstration in downtown Beirut. Police and security forces used tear gas against protesters, according to the country’s state news agency NNA. According to it, some dozen protesters sought the House of Representatives.
Protesters were reported to have, among other things, set fire to and threw stones at security forces.
According to the AFP, activists are trying to gather a large anti-government demonstration on Saturday.
On Thursday, the government was also ousted by Tracy Chamoun, a Lebanese ambassador to Jordan who resigned in protest. According to him, the cause of the explosion is massive negligence and corruption, says the Turkish news agency Anadolu, among others. According to Chamoun, the politicians who led the country after the civil war that ended in 1990 should resign and new elections should be held in the country.
The administration is required to reform
Lebanon was already in economic chaos before the explosion. Unemployment, hyperinflation and corruption, among others, have plagued the country. The value of the Lebanese currency, the lira, has plummeted and a large proportion of the country’s population lives below the poverty line.
In addition, there are about 1.5 million refugees fleeing the Syrian war in neighboring countries.
According to Anadolu, the destroyed port of Beirut is not only the most important port in the country but also a key storage area for grain, food and medical supplies.
On Thursday, a change in the country’s leadership was demanded by, among others, the President of France Emmanuel Macron and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva.
– We must now break the deadlock in the discussions on vital reforms. A strong program is needed to change the direction of the economy and build confidence for the country’s future, Georgieva told news agency CNN.
Lebanon announced in March that it would suspend the repayment of its debts. No solution has been found in the negotiations with the IMF.