BeIRUT: Lebanon on Wednesday marked a year since his great explosion destroyed Beirut, with a mixture of sadness over loss of life and anger in impunity over the worst peaceful disaster when his economy was guilty.
Shortly after 18:00 on August 4, 2020, the stock of ammonium nitric fertilizer with carelessly stored in the port of the city exploded and left the Lebanese capital plot looked like a war zone.
What went down as one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history killed at least 214 people, flattened the whole environment and made the nation’s scars deepen the country’s economic gap.
With more than half of the countries living below the poverty line, the former French colonial rule aims to increase humanitarian assistance at other international conferences hosted by the United Nations on the anniversary.
President Emmanuel Macron hopes to raise $ 350 million.
The family of the dead and survivors had planned a vigil, prayer, ceremony and march to respect those who perished in the explosion whose shock waves felt as far as Cyprus.
Port workers were buried under a broken hearted wheat silo, firefighters against the fire that preceded the explosion powder, commuters were destroyed to death and citizens who were torn up by supersonic fragments from their glass.
Many will stay at home about what was declared as a national day of mourning, but last year’s shock immediately gave way to anger that only grew every day the crime remained punished.
The country’s political class has hidden behind its immunity proclaimed to avoid prosecution, delaying lead investigating the work of the judge in each turn.
Jeffry Chartouni, a worker in the port wheat silo, was still indifferent to anger after seven colleagues died in the explosion.
How, he asked, has the authority for many years not to tell them about tons of explosives that are stored right next to their office? “They should warn us.
With only a phone call, I can tell people to escape.
They can all go home” when fertilizer exploded, said the 32-year-old player said.
“Security officials, government, habits, of course they all know,” he added.
“They must be held to be responsible, from the top of the stairs to the lowest stairs.” One protest is scheduled to end in front of the parliament, where there is no step taken to receive accountability.
Amnesty International accused the Lebanese authority “shamelessly blocking” justice, while Human Rights Watch accused them of “criminal negligence”.
On Monday, relatives of the explosion victims asked the authorities to raise immunity within three days, the warning they were willing to “break the bones” in the upcoming protest.
“We are finished with routine and peaceful demonstrations …
beware of our anger,” said Ibrahim Hoteit, a family spokesman.
According to foreign and Lebanese intelligence reports see by AFP, hundreds of tons of fertilizers are stored carelessly in the same warehouse with tons of fireworks and binding rope rolls, among other hazardous materials.
Reports, all dating back to last year, showed that welding work caused the original fire.
However, more comprehensive investigations have not confirmed that fact and answer how shipping is there, or why various hazardous materials are allowed to distinguish in the same location for years.
Mervat Bakkour, 43, is among the dozens of people holding candles on Tuesday night in the Gemayzeh environment which was damaged by the explosion.
He said he clearly remembered fear on August 4 last year.
“I still don’t believe that many lives are missing,” he said.
Lebanese Parliament – Some of them have been dubbed “Deputy Nitrates” on social media – ignoring intense international pressure and threats of sanctions.
They have not agreed to the government lineup despite being given a mid-September deadline last year by Paris, which has pioneered the drive drive which is conditioned on reform.
The first donor conference for Lebanon in a direct effort of the explosion collected 280 million euros ($ 332 million at the current level).
Lebanese descent into chaos has begun before the explosion port, with the country bankrupt trapping people’s savings in banks and national currencies that swoop in the black market.
This country is now facing medicine, fuel and lack of clean water that adds post-explosive trauma, paralyzing the health sector that faces a new wave of covid infection and leads all people who can emigrate.