Beirut blast: A man holds the Lebanese flag, as he looks at the scene of Tuesday’s explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Rescue teams were still searching the rubble of Beirut’s port for bodies on Friday, nearly three days after a massive explosion sent a wave of destruction through Lebanon’s capital. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Three days after a massive explosion rocked Lebanon’s capital city Beirut, the country’s President Michel Aoun said that an investigation committee is presently looking into whether the blast was deliberately caused by a rocket, bomb or other external interference.
“The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act,” President Aoun told local media today, according to Reuters.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted at three levels: “First, how the explosive material entered and was stored…second whether the explosion was a result of negligence or an accident…and third the possibility that there was external interference,” he added.
Meanwhile, rescue teams and volunteers continue to plough through debris to try and locate both survivors and bodies. So far, the death toll stands at 157, while over 5,000 people are said to have been injured during the blast. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, at least 100 people are still missing, most of whom were workers at the port, where the explosion took place.
Read: Lebanon officials ignored warnings on chemical tied to blast
The blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of highly volatile ammonium nitrate, which was stored at a warehouse in the city’s port for almost seven years.
Here are today’s top developments from Beirut:
UN calls for independent probe into explosion
Beirut blast: A rescue team surveys the site of this week’s massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The United Nations Human Rights Office has called for an independent investigation into the explosion that tore through the streets of Beirut on Tuesday. A UN spokesperson said that the country was faced with a “triple tragedy of a socio-economic crisis, Covid-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion”, AP reported.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Spokesperson Rupert Colville stated that a separate probe was important as “victims’ calls for accountability must be heard”.
Explained: What footage of the Beirut explosion tells us about the blast
He also urged the international community to “step up” and help Lebanon in its time of need by responding quickly and providing sustained aid. He went on to urge Lebanese leaders to “overcome political stalemates and address the grievances of the population”.
Also read: UN releasing $9 million to help Beirut hospitals
French team begins investigation
Beirut blast: A dog of the French rescue team searches for survivors at the scene of this week’s massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A 22-member French team of investigators has launched its probe into the explosion in Beirut. Based on information gathered so far, a senior French police official has said that while the explosion appears to be an accident, it is too early to know for sure, AP reported.
France’s second senior-most forensic police official Dominique Abbenanti has said that the death toll is expected to grow in the coming days as rescue operations continue in full swing.
Speaking about the scale of the investigation, the chief of a unit involved in the investigation, Eric Berot, said, “It is enormous. It’s a titanic job.” He added that the probe was further complicated by the pre-existing political and economic crisis in the country.
Lebanese protesters clash with police
Beirut blast: Anti-government protesters throw stones and clash with the riot police, during a protest against the political elites who have ruled the country for decades, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
As hundreds of Beirut residents stormed the streets and demanded the resignation of the Lebanese government, security forces were deployed in large numbers to disperse the growing crowds. Demonstrators and law enforcement authorities were seen clashing on the streets of Beirut Thursday, Reuters reported.
WATCH: Driving through Beirut shows scale of damage, ruins and wreckage
While security forces in riot gear used tear gas, protesters allegedly set fires, vandalised stores and attacked the officers with stones. Several people were left wounded in the clashes, as per reports.
How an unscheduled port visit led to disaster
The chemicals that went up in flames in Beirut’s deadliest peace-time explosion arrived in the Lebanese capital seven years ago on a leaky Russian-leased cargo ship that, according to its captain, should never have stopped there. “They were being greedy,” said Boris Prokoshev, who was captain of the Rhosus in 2013 when he says the owner told him to make an unscheduled stop in Lebanon to pick up extra cargo. Prokoshev said the ship was carrying 2,750 tonnes of a highly combustible chemical from Georgia to Mozambique when the order came to divert to Beirut on its way through the Mediterranean.
EU chief to arrive in Beirut tomorrow
Beirut blast: People remove debris from a house damaged by Tuesday’s explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Rescue teams were still searching the rubble of Beirut’s port for bodies on Friday, nearly three days after a massive explosion sent a wave of destruction through Lebanon’s capital, killing over a hundred people and wounding thousands. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
European Council President Charles Michel is expected to land in Beirut on Saturday to lend the bloc’s support after the devastating explosion razed large parts of the city and left an estimated 300,000 homeless.
“Traveling to #Beirut tomorrow to convey Europe’s solidarity with the people in #Lebanon,” Michel tweeted today.
Traveling to #Beirut tomorrow to convey Europe’s solidarity with the people in #Lebanon.
Shocked and saddened, we stand with all those affected and will provide help.
Will meet with President Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Berri and President of Council of Ministers Diab. pic.twitter.com/bKdULdPSNE
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) August 7, 2020
He is expected to meet with President Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and the President of the Council of Ministers Hassan Diab.
US pledges over $17 million in disaster aid for Lebanon
Beirut blast: Debris lay inside a damaged apartment at a neighborhood near the scene of Tuesday’s explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The United States has pledged more than $17 million in initial disaster aid for Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday. The US embassy in the country announced that the aid would include food assistance, medical supplies and financial assistance for the Lebanese Red Cross.
“Announcements of additional aid and assistance are forthcoming,” an official statement read.
Lebanon faces food crisis as blast destroys only port-based grains silo
Beirut blast: A Lebanese army helicopter throw water at the scene where an explosion hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanon’s only port-based grains silo was destroyed in the massive blast that rocked the capital city of Beirut on Tuesday, resulting in a significant food shortage in the country, Reuters reported.
Earlier plans to set up a second silo at the Tripoli port were scrapped years ago due to a shortage of funds, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Lebanon said.
“There are smaller storage sites within the private sector millers because they have to store wheat before it is milled into flour,” Maurice Saade said. “In terms of grain silos, that was the only major one.”