The Lebanese army found another 4.35 tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate on Thursday 3rd September near the entrance to Beirut port, one month on from the deadly blast caused by 2,750 tonnes of the same substance that ripped apart much of the city and killed 191 persons.
The military said in a statement on Thursday that army experts were called in for an inspection and found the dangerous chemical in four containers stored near the port and army engineers were “dealing with it,” according to an army statement carried by the state news agency NNA. The statement said the chemicals were found outside entrance nine to the port and there were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner.
The lead investigator of the catastrophic blast heard testimony from outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Thursday of which he admitted knowing about the existence of the dangerous chemical used to make fertiliser and explosives at the port prior to the blast. 25 suspects have so far been arrested, including Port Director General Hassan Koraytem and Customs Chief Badri Daher. Also among those arrested are three Syrian workers who carried out welding work on the warehouse containing the poorly stored ammonia nitrate on the day of the blast.
Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. NO PHOTOS can be used or manipulated without our permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Sunday 6th September, 2020.
