Investigators began searching through the wreckage of Beirut's port for clues to the cause of the massive explosion that ripped across the Lebanese capital, and the government ordered port officials put under house arrest amid speculation that negligence was to blame.
The investigation is focusing on how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilisers, came to be stored at the facility for six years, and why nothing was done about it.
International aid flights began to arrive as Lebanon's leaders struggled to deal with the shocking aftermath of the blast, crippled by an economic crisis and facing a public that blames chronic mismanagement and corruption among the ruling elite for the disaster.
The explosion at the port killed at least 135 people and wounded about 5,000, Health Minister Hamad Hassan said. Hospitals were overwhelmed — one that was damaged in the blast had to evacuate all its patients to a nearby field for treatment. Buildings were damaged for miles around the city, and Beirut's governor said that hundreds of thousands might not be able to return to their homes for two or three months.
It was the worst, most destructive single explosion to strike Lebanon in a history filled with destruction, in a 1975-1990 civil war, conflicts with Israel and periodic terror attacks.
Smoke rises from the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. Photo / AP
A senior U.S. Defense Department official and member of the U.S. intelligence community said there were no indications the massive explosion that erupted on Tuesday evening (Wednesday NZT) in Lebanon's capital was the result of an attack by either a nation state or proxy forces.
Both individuals spoke to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss intelligence briefings publicly. Both officials told the AP that at the moment, the explosion seems to have been caused by improper storage of explosives.
Fueling speculation that negligence was to blame for the accident, an official letter circulating online showed the head of the customs department had warned repeatedly over the years that the huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar in the port was a danger, and asked judicial officials for a ruling on a way to remove it.
Ammonium nitrate is a component of fertiliser that is potentially explosive. The 2,750-ton cargo had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from a ship in 2013, and it is believed to have detonated after a fire broke out nearby.
The 2017 letter from the custom's chief to a judge could not be immediately confirmed, but state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat ordered security agencies to start an immediate investigation into all letters related to the materials stored at the port as well as lists of people in charge of maintenance, storage and protection of the hangar.
In the letter, the customs chief warns of the "dangers if the materials remain where they are, affecting the safety of (port) employees" and asked the judge for guidance on what to do with it. He said five similar letters were sent in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The letter proposes the material be exported or sold to a Lebanese explosives company. It is not known if there was ever a response.
President Michael Aoun vowed before a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (local time) that the investigation would be transparent and that those responsible will be punished.
"There are no words to describe the catastrophe that hit Beirut last night," he said.
After the meeting, the Cabinet ordered an unspecified number of Beirut port officials put under house arrest pending the investigation and declared a two-week state of emergency, effectively giving the military full powers during this time.
People clean up after a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Photo / AP
The government also said public schools and some hotels will be opened for the homeless and promised unspecified compensation for the...
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