The incident took place yesterday shortly after noon, reviving memory of the tragedy of 4 August 2020, an unprecedented disaster in the history of the country. Cracks have appeared in what is left of the structure, with more collapses expected. The dust cloud caused by the collapse was effectively contained, lingering for a few minutes.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – Weakened by a fire, part of the Beirut grain silos collapsed late Sunday afternoon, four days before the second anniversary of the explosions of 4 August 2020.
The collapse caused a large cloud of dust, but did not cause any damage, due to the precautions taken by the authorities.
According to an official with the Beirut fire brigade, quoted by L'Orient-Le Jour, “the impact of the dust cloud was only felt for 10 to 15 minutes". A security perimeter of more than 600 metres had been established around the site.
Army helicopters then sprayed the dust cloud to reduce the impact of the fallout. When two silos collapsed, some residents of the neighbourhoods near the port did not hear or feel anything, witnesses said.
According to experts, the entire structure was shaken by the large blocks breaking away; cracks appeared in the remaining silos, so more collapses can be expected.
Burning grain stocks inside the silos are expected to further weaken the rest of the metal structure.
On Thursday, a day of national mourning will mark the second anniversary of the unprecedented disaster in the history of Lebanon.
More than 220 people died as a result of the explosions of thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, with nearly 6,000 people injured and entire neighbourhoods in the capital damaged.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the disaster is going nowhere because of legal and political wrangles.