Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Feature
  • Timeout
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Sci-Tech
  • Others
    • COVID-19
    • Today’s Pic
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Feature
  • Timeout
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Sci-Tech
  • Others
    • COVID-19
    • Today’s Pic
No Result
View All Result
OrissaPOST - Odisha Latest news, English Daily -
No Result
View All Result

Lebanon’s military and security agencies had warned of massive stockpile of explosives at heart of Beirut

AP
Updated: August 8th, 2020, 08:32 IST
in International
0
(Image courtesy: PTI)

(Image courtesy: PTI)

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on Linkedin

Beirut: At least 10 times over the past six years, authorities from Lebanon’s customs, military, security agencies and judiciary raised alarm that a massive stockpile of explosive chemicals was being kept with almost no safeguard at the port in the heart of Beirut, newly surfaced documents show.

Yet in a circle of negligence, nothing was done — and Tuesday, the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate blew up, obliterating the city’s main commercial hub and spreading death and wreckage for miles around.

President Michel Aoun, in office since 2016, said Friday he was first told of the dangerous stockpile nearly three weeks ago and immediately ordered military and security agencies to do “what was needed.” But he suggested his responsibility ended there, saying he had no authority over the port and that previous governments had been told of its presence.

“Do you know how many problems have been accumulating?” Aoun replied when a reporter pressed whether he should have followed up on his order.

The documents surfacing in social media since the blast underscore the corruption, negligence and incompetence of Lebanon’s long-ruling political oligarchy, and its failure to provide its people with basic needs, including security.

Investigators probing the blast have focused on personnel at the Port of Beirut — Lebanon’s main port, so well known for corruption its common nickname is Ali Baba’s Cave.

So far, at least 16 port employees have been detained and others questioned. On Friday, investigators questioned and then ordered the detention of the head of the port, Hassan Koraytem, the country’s customs chief, Badri Daher, and Daher’s predecessor.

But many Lebanese say the rot permeates the political system and extends to the country’s top leadership.

The explosion of the ammonium nitrate, after apparently being set off by a fire, was the biggest explosion in Lebanon’s history. The known death toll reached 154, including bodies recovered from the rubble Friday; more than 5,000 people were wounded. Billions of dollars in damage was caused across the city, where many are too impoverished by Lebanon’s financial crisis to rebuild.

Aoun’s comments were the most senior confirmation that top politicians had been aware of the stockpile.

“The material had been there for seven years, since 2013. It has been there, and they said it is dangerous and I am not responsible. I don’t know where it was placed. I don’t even know the level of danger. I have no authority to deal directly with the port,” he told a press conference.

He said that when he was told of the stockpile on July 20, he immediately ordered military and security officials “to do what is needed.” “There are ranks that should know their duties, and they were all informed. … When you refer a document and say, ‘Do what is needed,’ isn’t that an order?” he added.

He said the explosion may have been caused by negligence, but the investigation would also look at the possibility that it could have been caused by a bomb or other “external intervention.” He said he had asked France for satellite images from the time of the blast to see if they showed any planes or missiles.

The ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizers and explosives, originated from a cargo ship called MV Rhosus that had been traveling from the country of Georgia to Mozambique in 2013. It made an unscheduled detour to Beirut as the Russian shipowner was struggling with debts and hoped to earn some extra cash in Lebanon. Unable to pay port fees and reportedly leaking, it was impounded.

The first known document about it came on Feb. 21, 2014, three months after its arrival. Col. Joseph Skaff, a senior customs official, wrote to the customs authority’s anti-smuggling department warning that the material — still on board the ship docked at port — was “extremely dangerous and endangers public safety.” Col. Skaff died in March 2017 in unclear circumstances. He was found near his house in Beirut after allegedly falling from a height.

Medical reports at the time gave different explanations, one saying it was an accident, the other saying there was unusual bruising on his face.

June 27, 2014, Jad Maalouf, a judge for urgent matters, wrote to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, warning the ship was carrying dangerous material and could sink.

He said the ministry should deal with the ship, remove the ammonium nitrate and “place it in a suitable place that it (the ministry) chooses, and it (the material) should be under its protection.” Soon after that, the shipment was moved into Warehouse 12 at the port, where it remained until it exploded. It is unclear if it was officially under the ministry’s control.

Lebanon’s LBC TV station reported that in October 2015, the army intervened after learning of delays in dealing with the shipment. Military intelligence sent an expert who tested the material and found that the nitrogen levels were 34.7%, considered a highly explosive level, LBC said.

The army reported to the customs department that the material should be quickly removed, suggesting it be exported. The customs referred the report to back to the judge of urgent matters, LBC said.

AP

Tags: BeirutBeirut blastEXPLOSIVESLebanonLebanon blast
ShareTweetSendShare
Suggest A Correction

Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox.

Related Posts

Putin

Russia on brink of its first debt default since 1998

June 26, 2022
petrol

Sri Lanka to ration fuel by issuing token numbers

June 26, 2022
Joe Biden

G-7 to ban Russian gold in response to Ukraine war: Biden

June 26, 2022

Monkeypox an evolving threat, not a global health emergency: WHO

June 26, 2022

339 kids killed in Ukraine since war began

June 26, 2022

Taliban appeals for unfreezing of Afghan reserves after devastating quake

June 26, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

OrissaPOST epaper Sunday POST OrissaPOST epaper

Click Here: Plastic Free Odisha

Plastic Free Odisha

Valena Valentina-Karate Player

Karate player Valena Valentina calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Korei college students

Korei college students support plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Sundargarh Public School teachers

Sundargarh Public School teachers support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Angul Govt. College Students

Angul Govt. College Students support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Ratikant Mohapatra,Odissi Dance Director

Ratikant Mohapatra support a plastic free odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Padmashree Aruna Mohanty-Odissi Dancer

Padmashree Odissi Dancer Aruna Mohanty calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Odisha Rajya Rogi Adhikar Mancha & Mangalabagh International Club workers

Odisha Rajya Rogi Adhikar Mancha & Mangalabagh International Club Workers support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Elina Samantray, Actress

Elina Samantray calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Actress Bhoomika Dash

Actress Bhoomika Dash calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Members of All Ride Bicycle

Members of All Ride Bicycle supports a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Sports Person Sradhanjali Samantaray

Sports Personality Sradhanjali Samantaray support a *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your Photos/Selfie (with fingers ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Naveen Jindal-Enterpreneur

Naveen Jindal support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you?  *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your Photos/Selfie ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Bhubaneswar Bar Association Lawyer Liberty Trust

Bhubaneswar Bar Association Lawyer Liberty Trust supports plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Balibil Nodal School students

Balibil Nodal School students support plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Govinda Poddar-Odisha Ranji Team Captain

Govinda Poddar, Odisha Ranji Team Captain  calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Tanbhi Block School students and staff

Tanbhi Block School students and staff support plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Nayagarh Girls’ High School

Nayagarh Girls’ High School students support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Kalamatia Sahid Bidyapitha students

Kalamatia Sahid Bidyapitha students support plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Olympian Anuradha Biswal

Olympian Anuradha Biswal supports a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Utkal University Journalism Department Students

Utkal University Journalism Department students call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Debashish Mohanty-Former Indian Cricketer

Cricketer Debashish Mohanty supports  a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Sundargarh Public School students

Sundargarh Public School students support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Anubhav Mohanty, Actor

Anubhav Mohanty supports call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Scoutmaster, Guide Captains, Rovers, and Rangers of Keonjhar

Scoutmaster, Guide Captains, Rovers, and Rangers of Keonjhar support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Bijay Mohanty, Actor

Actor Bijay Mohanty calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

BJB Autonomous College-Bhubaneswar

BJB Autonomous college students support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

August 30, 2018
Covaxin
Christmas

Bharat Biotech rubbishes criticism, says its vaccine is safe    

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech rejected Monday criticism over the grant of emergency use authorisation by India’s drug regulator to ...

January 5, 2021
Plastic Free Odisha

Deepak Kumar-Actor

Deepak Kumar support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Swaraj Barik, Actor

Swaraj Barik calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Arindam Roy, Actor

Arindam Roy supports call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook ...

August 29, 2018

Archives

Editorial

War On Women

Anti-abortion demonstrators outside the United States Supreme Court (PC: Reuters)
June 27, 2022

The US Supreme Court’s overturning of the landmark court ruling Roe vs Wade nearly half a century ago giving the...

Read more

Executive Overreach

June 26, 2022

One of our Supreme Court judges made an important if startling point when giving a lecture abroad. A legal website...

Read more

Shortage of Officers

June 25, 2022

The Uttarakhand government has been struggling to work with only 76 IAS officers in the state, even though it has...

Read more

Disarm All Nukes

June 23, 2022

Austria and New Zealand may be far apart geographically, but we are connected by shared values and principles. Particularly relevant...

Read more
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Feature
  • Sports
  • Sci-Tech
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Career
Developed By Ratna Technology

© 2020 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

  • Home
  • Metro
  • State
  • National
  • International
  • IPL
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Feature
  • Opinion
  • Sci-Tech
  • COVID-19
  • Today’s Pic
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Career
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2020 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST