More Beirut Port northern silos collapse
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The rest of the northern part of the silos have collapsed, raising a large pillar of dust.
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A collapsed portion, right, lies on the ground of the silos that were damaged during the August 2020 massive explosion in the port, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022 (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A new northern part of Beirut port's grain silos collapsed on Tuesday in a cloud of dust after a fire has been noticed burning inside for days, a witness told Sputnik.
"The northern part of the granaries sloped on Monday night and completely collapsed today, raising a large pillar of dust," the witness said.
Fermenting wheat was causing fires in the silos, which have been burning since early July, according to Lebanese Economy Minister Amin Salam.
The southern block still stands next to the charred ruins.
The 48-meter-tall silos had withstood the impact of the massive explosion that shook Lebanon two years ago, shielding the western part of Beirut from the blast that took the lives of over 200 people, wounded more than 6,000, and badly damaged entire neighborhoods.
Experts had been warning for days that the silos could collapse imminently after recording unprecedented inclination rates.
Beirut port's grain silos partially collapsed end of July, just before the second-year anniversary of the disastrous port explosion.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport in the Lebanese caretaker government, Ali Hamiyeh, said that two silos had collapsed from the northern side. The total number of grain silos is 40, and the minister said he expected most of the silos to collapse.
Several more grain silos damaged by the 2020 Beirut port explosion collapsed only days after the first two silos, as hundreds marched toward them to mark the second anniversary of the disaster.
It is worth noting that Hamiyeh said the silos structure building is no longer considered a crime scene as per a judicial decision, stressing, "We are determined to rebuild it."
The fires started to erupt in the northern part of the silos due to the fermentation of the remaining grain stocks, exacerbated by scorching weather temperatures, according to authorities.
Najib Mikati, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, had warned that the silos would soon fall.
He warned workers, civil defense members, and firefighters to keep their distance from the location while keeping the army on alert.
The silos hold a capacity of over 100,000 tons and have become a symbol of the Beirut explosion.
In April, the Lebanese government ordered that the premises be demolished; however, it was suspended due to objections, especially from the families of the victims who demand turning the silos into a memorial site of the catastrophe.
The authorities were not able to extract the 3,000 tons of wheat and corn that were stuck in the silos, since the move would probably accelerate the collapse.
The ministries of environment and health have been warning the public to evacuate the port area and wear masks in case the silos collapse.
On August 4, which marked the second anniversary of the explosion, Hezbollah expressed once again its condolences to "the families of all martyrs, Christians, and Muslims, Lebanese and non-Lebanese," as well as the wounded and their families, most notably those who are still in hospitals, on the second anniversary of the tragic explosion at the port of Beirut.
In a statement, Hezbollah reaffirmed its stance, calling for a just investigation into the Beirut port blast which is based on legal principles and away from any political and sectarian bias.
