Lebanese army finds four tonnes of ammonium nitrate near Beirut's port
Beirut: The Lebanese military discovered more than four tonnes of ammonium nitrate near Beirut's port on Thursday, a find that's a chilling reminder of the horrific explosion a month ago that killed 191 people.
According to the military, army experts were called in for an inspection and found 4.35 tonnes of the dangerous chemical in four containers stored near the port. There were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner.
A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion that hit the port of Beirut in August.Credit:HUSSEIN MALLA
The find comes almost exactly a month after nearly 3000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut's port for six years detonated, wreaking death and destruction. Along with 191 people killed, more than 6000 were injured and entire neighbourhoods were devastated. The blast left nearly 300,000 people homeless and caused damage worth billions of dollars.
The military statement said that customs officials had called in the army to inspect containers at a facility near the port, where they found 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. It said army experts were "dealing with the material," an apparent reference that it was being destroyed.
Days after the August 4 blast, French and Italian chemical experts working amid the remains of the port identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals. The army later said that these containers were moved and stored safely in locations away from the port.
French experts as well as the FBI have taken part in the investigation into the blast, at the request of Lebanese authorities. Their findings have yet to be released.
So far, authorities have detained 25 people over last month's explosion, most of them port and customs officials.
Meantime, rescue workers had detected signs of life on Thursday in the rubble of a building in a residential area of Beirut that had collapsed after the explosion, a rescue worker said.
He was speaking after the state news agency reported a team with a rescue dog had detected movement under a destroyed building in the Gemmayze area of Beirut, one of the worst hit by the blast.
"These (signs of breathing and pulse) along with the temperature sensor means there is a possibility of life," rescue worker Eddy Bitar said at the scene.
Rescue workers in bright jackets clambered over the building that had collapsed in the blast.
The rescue team were setting up flood lights at the site as the sun set. One rescue worker carried a rescue dog onto the mound of smashed masonry.
Bitar said a civil defence unit had been called in to help with extra equipment to conduct the search.
Local media said any search and rescue effort, if it became clear that someone was still alive, was likely to take hours.
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AP, Reuters