Beirut blast families fight to keep ruined silos up until justice served
Families of the victims and activists say the Lebanese government is in an undue hurry to bring down a massive symbol of the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the negligence behind it.
The blast at Beirut Port on Aug. 4, 2020, not only left more than 215 dead and 6,000 injured, but also changed the skyline of Lebanon's capital.
For many Lebanese, the ruined grain silos are a memorial for the blast's victims and a testament to the negligence of their political establishment. The forensic investigation was halted for the fifth time in February 2022. No one has yet been held accountable almost two years after the explosion of 552 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.
On April 14, 2022, the Lebanese government approved plans to demolish the grain silos.
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makari told the local media that the government had appointed the Council for Development and Reconstruction to oversee the demolition process. He did not specify a time frame.
