Weeks After Deadly Blast, Huge Fire At Beirut Port
Beirut: On Thursday, a huge fire raged in Beirut port. Thick black columns of smoke rose into the sky, as the army said the blaze had engulfed a warehouse storing oil and tyres. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze.
Social media users posted video footage, which sparked alarm among Beirut residents.
"Operations have begun to extinguish the fire and army helicopters will take part," the military said in a statement on Twitter.
"Insane fire at the port, causing panic all across Beirut. We just can't catch a break," Human Rights Watch researcher Aya Majzoub wrote on Twitter.
On August 4th, the explosion of hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the port killed more than 190 people, wounded thousands, and ravaged large parts of the capital.
The authorities had been aware of the presence of the huge stockpile. So the blast sparked widespread outrage, and prompted the government to resign.
"Where are we living? This is the scene of the crime a month ago! Where is the judiciary? Where is the state? Where is responsibility?" Human rights researcher Omar Nashabe tweeted.
The port blast piled new misery on Lebanese, already battling the coronavirus pandemic and the country's worst economic crisis in decades.
