Comment BEIRUT — The last of the unstable grain silos at the port of Beirut collapsed on Tuesday morning, two years after a deadly explosion severely damaged the structures, which for weeks burned and slowly collapsed as a traumatized country looked on. No injuries were reported as the area was evacuated in anticipation of the collapse, but the sight of a dramatic, large dust cloud coming from the harbor began on August 4, 2020, when it was preceded by smoke rising from a fire in the harbor. explosion of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate. The blast killed more than 200, injured thousands and left thousands more displaced. For residents, the silos were a kind of living proof of the tragedies the Lebanese have endured over the decades, in which events that rock the country remain unexplained and justice is not served. On the anniversary of the deadly explosion, Lebanon’s port is on fire again The silos that fell on Tuesday were the last from the structurally unsound northern block, according to Emmanuel Durand, a French civil engineer who has volunteered to work alongside emergency workers to monitor construction. Grain that had been fermenting and toasting in the sun for two years went up in flames last month, weakening silos and beginning the process of collapse – most recently on the second anniversary of the explosion. In April, the Lebanese government said it had ordered the demolition of all silos, fearing their eventual collapse. But activists, victims’ families and engineers fought the government’s decision, with engineers stressing that the southern block remains structurally sound. Victims’ families and independent lawmakers have called for the southern section to be left as a landmark for what happened until an independent investigation is carried out. A judicial inquiry began in 2020 into responsibility for alleged official negligence that allowed 2,750 tons of highly flammable ammonium nitrate to be stored for six years on the edge of a densely populated city. The probe has repeatedly stalled as the judges leading the probes have been mired in lawsuits from officials accusing them of a lack of impartiality and arguing for immunity from investigation. “When you don’t get justice, you’re still hurt and you don’t have closure,” said environmental activist Samer Khoury, 31. “For me, it’s not called PTSD anymore,” he said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder, but rather CTSD — continuous traumatic stress disorder . “Do you think this photo will change my life?” If the silos are removed and no longer exist as a monument, Khoury continued, “somehow, you’ll stop thinking [the blast] or even think that it happened.’ An emergency bill was introduced in Parliament in July by an independent lawmaker, aiming to designate the silos as a national heritage site. But when the bill came up for a vote, the legislative session was engulfed in complaints and accusations of voter fraud. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the meeting. Officials who are members of Berry’s party, the Amal Movement, are among several named in judicial inquiries into the blast.
