{"id":166413,"date":"2020-08-10T12:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=166413"},"modified":"2020-08-06T10:16:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T09:16:00","slug":"floating-bomb-how-the-beirut-blast-was-predicted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/08\/floating-bomb-how-the-beirut-blast-was-predicted\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Floating Bomb\u2019: How the Beirut Blast Was Predicted"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content__headline-standfirst-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"content__header tonal__header\">\n<div class=\"u-cf\">\n<div id=\"attachment_166414\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion-lebanon.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166414\" class=\"wp-image-166414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion-lebanon.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"336\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-166414\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Al Jazeera<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><em>Anger at Officials Grows after Missed Warnings &#8211;<\/em> <em>Released paper trail reveals ignored warnings over stash that has killed at least 135 people.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\">\n<div class=\"content__standfirst\" data-link-name=\"standfirst\" data-component=\"standfirst\">\n<ul>\n<li><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/aug\/05\/visual-guide-how-explosion-caused-mass-casualties-and-devastation-across-beirut\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\"><em>Visual guide: how explosion caused devastation<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__meta-container js-content-meta u-cf\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"meta__contact-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__meta-container js-content-meta u-cf\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"meta__extras\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media-primary\">\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--main-media element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"889bc749-5d6a-4583-a039-2d385193f578\" data-atom-type=\"media\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio u-responsive-ratio--hd youtube-media-atom youtube-related-videos\" data-media-atom-id=\"889bc749-5d6a-4583-a039-2d385193f578\" data-channel-id=\"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA\" data-unique-atom-id=\"889bc749-5d6a-4583-a039-2d385193f578\/e9vim0rnj\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-41CCFYOy6Ww\" class=\"youtube-media-atom__iframe youtube__video-ready\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/41CCFYOy6Ww?embed_config=%7B%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22adsConfig%22%3A%7B%22adTagParameters%22%3A%7B%22iu%22%3A%22%2F59666047%2Ftheguardian.com%2Fworld%2Farticle%2Fng%22%2C%22cust_params%22%3A%22sens%253Df%2526pv%253Dkdik8bs0kewlxmnyivz3%2526bp%253Ddesktop%2526si%253Dt%2526ab%253DSignInGateMainControl-main-control-1%252CdotcomRenderingControl-control%252ColdTlsSupportDeprecationControl-control%2526fr%253D30plus%2526cc%253DPT%2526s%253Dworld%2526rp%253Ddotcom-platform%2526dcre%253Df%2526inskin%253Df%2526urlkw%253Dfloating%252Cbomb%252Cdisclosed%252Cdocuments%252Creveal%252Cpath%2526rdp%253Dna%2526consent_tcfv2%253Dna%2526cmp_interaction%253Dna%2526ct%253Darticle%2526co%253Dmichael-safi%252Cmartin-chulov%252Croth-andrew%2526url%253D%25252Fworld%25252F2020%25252Faug%25252F05%25252Ffloating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path%2526su%253D4%252C5%252C1%252C2%252C3%2526edition%253Dint%2526tn%253Dnews%2526p%253Dng%2526k%253Dworld%252Cbeirut-explosion%252Cmiddleeast%252Clebanon%2526sh%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgu.com%25252Fp%25252Fefep4%2526pa%253Dt%2526permutive%253D%22%7D%2C%22nonPersonalizedAd%22%3Afalse%7D%7D&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com&amp;widgetid=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-asset-id=\"41CCFYOy6Ww\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<header class=\"content__head content__head--article tonal__head tonal__head--tone-news\">\n<div class=\"media-primary\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--main-media element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"889bc749-5d6a-4583-a039-2d385193f578\" data-atom-type=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"caption caption--main caption--video\"><strong>Aerial footage captures scale of destruction from Beirut explosion \u2013 video<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"content__article-body from-content-api js-article__body\" data-test-id=\"article-review-body\">\n<p><em>6 Aug 2020 &#8211;<\/em> Anger and dismay has been building in Beirut as officials admitted that a massive port explosion that killed at least 135 people, injured thousands and left many more homeless was foreseeable and had been the subject of repeated warnings.<\/p>\n<p>With Lebanon\u2019s capital still smouldering, an emerging paper trail linked the blast to a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/aug\/05\/ammonium-nitrate-what-is-the-chemical-blamed-for-blast-in-lebanese-capital\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in body link\">mammoth stash of ammonium nitrate<\/a> that was once described as a \u201cfloating bomb\u201d and housed at the port since 2014. As recently as six months ago, officials inspecting the consignment warned that if it was not moved it would \u201cblow up all of Beirut\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The revelation that government negligence may have played a role in the worst explosion in Beirut\u2019s history fuelled new anger towards Lebanon\u2019s political class among a population already seething at an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/aug\/05\/crisis-upon-crisis-blast-rocks-a-lebanon-already-on-its-knees\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in body link\">ongoing financial crisis<\/a> that has sunk half the country into poverty. Demonstrators in downtown Beirut attacked the convoy of former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri and brawled with his bodyguards in the most overt display of wider anger that is building against Lebanese politicians in the wake of the disaster.<\/p>\n<p>From one shattered balcony, a thin noose was hung along with a sign. \u201cWhose heads will be hung?\u201d it read. \u201cHang up the nooses\u201d also trended across Lebanese social media in an indication of the fury that followed the initial shock and grief.<\/p>\n<p>The government said on Wednesday evening it was putting an unspecified number of Beirut port officials under house arrest pending an investigation into how the highly explosive materials came to be stored less than 100 metres from a residential neighbourhoods. The national cabinet also declared a two-week state of emergency, effectively giving the military full powers in the capital.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"3090b25a-fa7e-431b-918c-9122fe729835\" data-atom-type=\"media\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio u-responsive-ratio--hd youtube-media-atom youtube-related-videos\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-media-atom-id=\"3090b25a-fa7e-431b-918c-9122fe729835\" data-channel-id=\"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA\" data-unique-atom-id=\"3090b25a-fa7e-431b-918c-9122fe729835\/o9grycu82\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-CrDVoSNBOas\" class=\"youtube-media-atom__iframe youtube__video-ready\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CrDVoSNBOas?embed_config=%7B%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22adsConfig%22%3A%7B%22adTagParameters%22%3A%7B%22iu%22%3A%22%2F59666047%2Ftheguardian.com%2Fworld%2Farticle%2Fng%22%2C%22cust_params%22%3A%22sens%253Df%2526pv%253Dkdik8bs0kewlxmnyivz3%2526bp%253Ddesktop%2526si%253Dt%2526ab%253DSignInGateMainControl-main-control-1%252CdotcomRenderingControl-control%252ColdTlsSupportDeprecationControl-control%2526fr%253D30plus%2526cc%253DPT%2526s%253Dworld%2526rp%253Ddotcom-platform%2526dcre%253Df%2526inskin%253Df%2526urlkw%253Dfloating%252Cbomb%252Cdisclosed%252Cdocuments%252Creveal%252Cpath%2526rdp%253Dna%2526consent_tcfv2%253Dna%2526cmp_interaction%253Dna%2526ct%253Darticle%2526co%253Dmichael-safi%252Cmartin-chulov%252Croth-andrew%2526url%253D%25252Fworld%25252F2020%25252Faug%25252F05%25252Ffloating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path%2526su%253D4%252C5%252C1%252C2%252C3%2526edition%253Dint%2526tn%253Dnews%2526p%253Dng%2526k%253Dworld%252Cbeirut-explosion%252Cmiddleeast%252Clebanon%2526sh%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgu.com%25252Fp%25252Fefep4%2526pa%253Dt%2526permutive%253D%22%7D%2C%22nonPersonalizedAd%22%3Afalse%7D%7D&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com&amp;widgetid=2\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-asset-id=\"CrDVoSNBOas\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"3090b25a-fa7e-431b-918c-9122fe729835\" data-atom-type=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"caption caption--video caption caption--img\"><strong>Before and after: drone footage shows devastation caused by Beirut explosion \u2013 video<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The death toll climbed to more than 135 people according to the Lebanese Red Cross with another 5,000 wounded. Up to 300,000 people had suffered damage to their homes, leaving some uninhabitable, Beirut\u2019s governor, Marwan Abboud, said. Dozens of people are still missing, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/aug\/05\/beirut-families-search-for-loved-ones-feared-trapped-under-rubble-blast-lebanon\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in body link\">feared buried under rubble<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Residents across the city were sweeping shattered glass and other debris from their homes on Wednesday morning as blame for the tragedy started to be apportioned on social media and Lebanese TV channels.<\/p>\n<p>The Lebanese prime minister on Tuesday [4 Aug] night had blamed the explosion on 2,750-tonne store of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in bombs and fertilisers, that had been stored at the port. Media reports from 2014 claimed a Russian-owned vessel carrying that load <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2020\/aug\/04\/beirut-explosion-huge-blast-port-lebanon-capital?page=with:block-5f2aa25f8f089d9b758a73d6#block-5f2aa25f8f089d9b758a73d6\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in body link\">was impounded at Beirut\u2019s port that year<\/a>, after making an emergency stop in the city and being denied permission to leave by customs authorities because it was deemed unseaworthy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_166415\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion-.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166415\" class=\"wp-image-166415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion--1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion--1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion--300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion--768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion--1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beirut-explosion-.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-166415\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ABC News<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The former captain of the vessel, the Rhosus, alleged in an interview with Russian journalists six years ago that the owner of the ship, reported as Igor Grechushkin, had abandoned it along with the crew, who were being \u201cheld hostage\u201d by customs authorities. \u201cThe owner has abandoned the ship. The cargo is ammonium nitrate. It is an explosive substance. And we\u2019ve been abandoned. We\u2019ve been living for 10 months on a powder keg.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Guardian has not been able to verify the claims Grechushkin was the ship\u2019s owner and has attempted to contact him for comment.<\/p>\n<p>In another letter published by a journalist in touch with the crew, the ship was described as \u201ca floating bomb and the crew is a hostage aboard this bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mostly Ukrainian crew were held onboard the ship for nearly a year before they were released, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shiparrested.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/The-Arrest-News-11th-issue.pdf\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in body link\">their lawyers said<\/a> in a 2015 note, and the ammonium nitrate was confiscated and held at the port in a warehouse.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"91afcb13-4c7d-4813-9b2b-f793efebc1b3\" data-atom-type=\"media\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio u-responsive-ratio--hd youtube-media-atom youtube-related-videos\" data-media-atom-id=\"91afcb13-4c7d-4813-9b2b-f793efebc1b3\" data-channel-id=\"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA\" data-unique-atom-id=\"91afcb13-4c7d-4813-9b2b-f793efebc1b3\/621nxystn\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-M0tURkKTaf8\" class=\"youtube-media-atom__iframe youtube__video-ready\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M0tURkKTaf8?embed_config=%7B%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22adsConfig%22%3A%7B%22adTagParameters%22%3A%7B%22iu%22%3A%22%2F59666047%2Ftheguardian.com%2Fworld%2Farticle%2Fng%22%2C%22cust_params%22%3A%22sens%253Df%2526pv%253Dkdik8bs0kewlxmnyivz3%2526bp%253Ddesktop%2526si%253Dt%2526ab%253DSignInGateMainControl-main-control-1%252CdotcomRenderingControl-control%252ColdTlsSupportDeprecationControl-control%2526fr%253D30plus%2526cc%253DPT%2526s%253Dworld%2526rp%253Ddotcom-platform%2526dcre%253Df%2526inskin%253Df%2526urlkw%253Dfloating%252Cbomb%252Cdisclosed%252Cdocuments%252Creveal%252Cpath%2526rdp%253Dna%2526consent_tcfv2%253Dna%2526cmp_interaction%253Dna%2526ct%253Darticle%2526co%253Dmichael-safi%252Cmartin-chulov%252Croth-andrew%2526url%253D%25252Fworld%25252F2020%25252Faug%25252F05%25252Ffloating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path%2526su%253D4%252C5%252C1%252C2%252C3%2526edition%253Dint%2526tn%253Dnews%2526p%253Dng%2526k%253Dworld%252Cbeirut-explosion%252Cmiddleeast%252Clebanon%2526sh%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgu.com%25252Fp%25252Fefep4%2526pa%253Dt%2526permutive%253D%22%7D%2C%22nonPersonalizedAd%22%3Afalse%7D%7D&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com&amp;widgetid=3\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-asset-id=\"M0tURkKTaf8\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"91afcb13-4c7d-4813-9b2b-f793efebc1b3\" data-atom-type=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"caption caption--video caption caption--img\"><strong>Footage shows moment Beirut explosion hits as bride poses for photographs \u2013 video<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In an interview with Radio Free Europe on Wednesday, the ship\u2019s captain <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sibreal.org\/a\/30767538.html\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"in body link\">denied there were problems<\/a> with the ship and said it was detained for failing to pay port fees. The International Transport Workers Federation, which sought back wages and repatriation for the crew, confirmed that the ship was being held in part because it owed the port $100,000 in unpaid bills. In an interview with Radio Free Europe on Wednesday, the ship\u2019s captain at the time, Boris Prokoshev, said he had been in direct contact with Grechushkin, whom he called the ship\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n<p>Badri Daher, the director-general of Lebanese Customs, told broadcaster LBCI on Wednesday morning that in the years that folllowed, his agency had sent six documents to the judiciary warning that the material posed a danger. \u201cWe requested that it be re-exported but that did not happen,\u201d he said. \u201cWe leave it to the experts and those concerned to determine why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The news agency Reuters quoted an anonymous source close to a port employee saying a team had inspected the ammonium nitrate six months ago and warned that if it was not moved it would \u201cblow up all of Beirut\u201d. Another source said several committees and judges had been warned about the chemicals was \u201cnothing was done\u201d to dispose of it.<\/p>\n<p>Still unclear was what set off the ammonium nitrate, which requires extreme heat to ignite. Abboud said on Tuesday that the Beirut municipality had dispatched firefighters to the site in response to reports of a blaze, and that they were missing after the explosion \u2013 suggesting the fire had burned long enough for the crew to arrive at the scene.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"25736e83-4903-4266-9cf4-9a2f44f69a86\" data-atom-type=\"media\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio u-responsive-ratio--hd youtube-media-atom youtube-related-videos\" data-media-atom-id=\"25736e83-4903-4266-9cf4-9a2f44f69a86\" data-channel-id=\"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA\" data-unique-atom-id=\"25736e83-4903-4266-9cf4-9a2f44f69a86\/x3nam0989\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube--GIP2lCDCLg\" class=\"youtube-media-atom__iframe youtube__video-ready\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-GIP2lCDCLg?embed_config=%7B%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22adsConfig%22%3A%7B%22adTagParameters%22%3A%7B%22iu%22%3A%22%2F59666047%2Ftheguardian.com%2Fworld%2Farticle%2Fng%22%2C%22cust_params%22%3A%22sens%253Df%2526pv%253Dkdik8bs0kewlxmnyivz3%2526bp%253Ddesktop%2526si%253Dt%2526ab%253DSignInGateMainControl-main-control-1%252CdotcomRenderingControl-control%252ColdTlsSupportDeprecationControl-control%2526fr%253D30plus%2526cc%253DPT%2526s%253Dworld%2526rp%253Ddotcom-platform%2526dcre%253Df%2526inskin%253Df%2526urlkw%253Dfloating%252Cbomb%252Cdisclosed%252Cdocuments%252Creveal%252Cpath%2526rdp%253Dna%2526consent_tcfv2%253Dna%2526cmp_interaction%253Dna%2526ct%253Darticle%2526co%253Dmichael-safi%252Cmartin-chulov%252Croth-andrew%2526url%253D%25252Fworld%25252F2020%25252Faug%25252F05%25252Ffloating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path%2526su%253D4%252C5%252C1%252C2%252C3%2526edition%253Dint%2526tn%253Dnews%2526p%253Dng%2526k%253Dworld%252Cbeirut-explosion%252Cmiddleeast%252Clebanon%2526sh%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgu.com%25252Fp%25252Fefep4%2526pa%253Dt%2526permutive%253D%22%7D%2C%22nonPersonalizedAd%22%3Afalse%7D%7D&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com&amp;widgetid=4\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-asset-id=\"-GIP2lCDCLg\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"25736e83-4903-4266-9cf4-9a2f44f69a86\" data-atom-type=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"caption caption--video caption caption--img\"><strong>&#8216;It&#8217;s a catastrophe&#8217;: Beirut residents and mayor react to deadly blast \u2013 video<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Several pieces of footage from the moments preceding the blast also showed thick grey smoke billowing from port, along with a series of small explosions that gave off red fumes, and then a massive blast involving more than 1,300-times the amount of ammonium nitrate used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters quoted an anonymous source on Wednesday claiming the fire had started at a warehouse number nine, before spreading to warehouse 12 where the ammonium nitrate was stored. The source of the initial fire is not publicly known.<\/p>\n<p>Aerial and drone photographs showed a deep crater of blasted land where warehouse 12 stood, next to a row of destroyed grain silos and the surrounding area almost entirely razed.<\/p>\n<p>The Lebanese economy minister, Raoul Nehme, said damage to the silos had left the country with less than a month\u2019s grain reserves, but claimed there was no risk of food shortage. \u201cThere is no bread or flour crisis,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have enough inventory and boats on their way to cover the needs of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/lebanon\" class=\"u-underline\"  data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Lebanon<\/a> on the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abboud said damage from the blast extended over half of Beirut, with the cost of damage likely above $3bn.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"3ed57d9c-268a-4d46-8c43-89f18a995cde\" data-atom-type=\"media\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio u-responsive-ratio--hd youtube-media-atom youtube-related-videos\" data-media-atom-id=\"3ed57d9c-268a-4d46-8c43-89f18a995cde\" data-channel-id=\"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA\" data-unique-atom-id=\"3ed57d9c-268a-4d46-8c43-89f18a995cde\/rywrwe66i\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-VegYsyCnTLo\" class=\"youtube-media-atom__iframe youtube__video-ready\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VegYsyCnTLo?embed_config=%7B%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22adsConfig%22%3A%7B%22adTagParameters%22%3A%7B%22iu%22%3A%22%2F59666047%2Ftheguardian.com%2Fworld%2Farticle%2Fng%22%2C%22cust_params%22%3A%22sens%253Df%2526pv%253Dkdik8bs0kewlxmnyivz3%2526bp%253Ddesktop%2526si%253Dt%2526ab%253DSignInGateMainControl-main-control-1%252CdotcomRenderingControl-control%252ColdTlsSupportDeprecationControl-control%2526fr%253D30plus%2526cc%253DPT%2526s%253Dworld%2526rp%253Ddotcom-platform%2526dcre%253Df%2526inskin%253Df%2526urlkw%253Dfloating%252Cbomb%252Cdisclosed%252Cdocuments%252Creveal%252Cpath%2526rdp%253Dna%2526consent_tcfv2%253Dna%2526cmp_interaction%253Dna%2526ct%253Darticle%2526co%253Dmichael-safi%252Cmartin-chulov%252Croth-andrew%2526url%253D%25252Fworld%25252F2020%25252Faug%25252F05%25252Ffloating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path%2526su%253D4%252C5%252C1%252C2%252C3%2526edition%253Dint%2526tn%253Dnews%2526p%253Dng%2526k%253Dworld%252Cbeirut-explosion%252Cmiddleeast%252Clebanon%2526sh%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgu.com%25252Fp%25252Fefep4%2526pa%253Dt%2526permutive%253D%22%7D%2C%22nonPersonalizedAd%22%3Afalse%7D%7D&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com&amp;widgetid=5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-asset-id=\"VegYsyCnTLo\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"3ed57d9c-268a-4d46-8c43-89f18a995cde\" data-atom-type=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"caption caption--video caption caption--img\"><strong>Woman plays Auld Lang Syne on piano amid debris of Beirut explosion \u2013 video<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Wednesday evening, the UK Foreign Office announced a British aid package for Lebanon, including up to \u00a35m in emergency humanitarian funding, as well as deploying search and rescue experts, tailored medical help, strategic air transport assistance, and engineering and communications support.<\/p>\n<p>Much of East Beirut is no longer inhabitable, something that the few residents and shopkeepers picking through their wrecked businesses tacitly acknowledge. \u201cI don\u2019t know how we\u2019re going to get through this,\u201d said Issam Nassir, the manager of a tyre shop that stood incongruously amid what used to be a travel agent, a pizza parlour, and an upmarket bar \u2013 all destroyed. \u201cDo you really think Hiroshima could have been worse than this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sound of mountains of glass being swept from balconies and cascading onto roads was a soundtrack to the day. Tired emergency workers trudged through the streets, some holding sledgehammers, others carrying water. A carpark in the Gemmayze district had been turned into a triage centre. Orange plastic stretchers, slick with blood were lined up from one side to the other.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"bebac9fe-cbd0-48c5-92be-4e083d8a97ec\" data-atom-type=\"media\">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio u-responsive-ratio--hd youtube-media-atom youtube-related-videos\" data-media-atom-id=\"bebac9fe-cbd0-48c5-92be-4e083d8a97ec\" data-channel-id=\"UCIRYBXDze5krPDzAEOxFGVA\" data-unique-atom-id=\"bebac9fe-cbd0-48c5-92be-4e083d8a97ec\/t9ns58wuf\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-2kXGrv8IRXU\" class=\"youtube-media-atom__iframe youtube__video-ready\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2kXGrv8IRXU?embed_config=%7B%22relatedChannels%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22adsConfig%22%3A%7B%22adTagParameters%22%3A%7B%22iu%22%3A%22%2F59666047%2Ftheguardian.com%2Fworld%2Farticle%2Fng%22%2C%22cust_params%22%3A%22sens%253Df%2526pv%253Dkdik8bs0kewlxmnyivz3%2526bp%253Ddesktop%2526si%253Dt%2526ab%253DSignInGateMainControl-main-control-1%252CdotcomRenderingControl-control%252ColdTlsSupportDeprecationControl-control%2526fr%253D30plus%2526cc%253DPT%2526s%253Dworld%2526rp%253Ddotcom-platform%2526dcre%253Df%2526inskin%253Df%2526urlkw%253Dfloating%252Cbomb%252Cdisclosed%252Cdocuments%252Creveal%252Cpath%2526rdp%253Dna%2526consent_tcfv2%253Dna%2526cmp_interaction%253Dna%2526ct%253Darticle%2526co%253Dmichael-safi%252Cmartin-chulov%252Croth-andrew%2526url%253D%25252Fworld%25252F2020%25252Faug%25252F05%25252Ffloating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path%2526su%253D4%252C5%252C1%252C2%252C3%2526edition%253Dint%2526tn%253Dnews%2526p%253Dng%2526k%253Dworld%252Cbeirut-explosion%252Cmiddleeast%252Clebanon%2526sh%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgu.com%25252Fp%25252Fefep4%2526pa%253Dt%2526permutive%253D%22%7D%2C%22nonPersonalizedAd%22%3Afalse%7D%7D&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com&amp;widgetid=6\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-asset-id=\"2kXGrv8IRXU\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"element element-atom element-atom--media\" data-atom-id=\"bebac9fe-cbd0-48c5-92be-4e083d8a97ec\" data-atom-type=\"media\"><figcaption class=\"caption caption--video caption caption--img\"><strong>Beirut explosion: priest dodges falling debris as shockwave hits church during mass \u2013 video<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After becoming a byword for destruction and chaos in the 1980s, Beirut rebounded from its 15-year civil war to regain a reputation as a hard-partying playground for the wealthy and theatre for the Middle East\u2019s political intrigues.<\/p>\n<p>Bullet holes still marked many buildings, electricity remained intermittent and the divisions of the civil war went unreconciled, but Lebanon defied its doomsayers for three decades, attracting investment from across the region and millions of dollars in remittances from its diaspora that papered over the cracks in its institutions and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>That run appears to have ended in 2020, with its national accounts revealed to be stuffed with loans it cannot repay, and the bureaucratic inertia and negligence that dogs the lives of many Lebanese accused of contributing to one of the worst disasters in the country\u2019s modern history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened yesterday is the result of the incompetence of the so-called responsible people,\u201d wrote St\u00e9phane Bazan, a Lebanese consultant, in a widely shared Facebook post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many disasters are still waiting for? We run out of electricity, water is poisoned, food is suspicious, weapons are everywhere. They stole our money, our children\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/aug\/05\/floating-bomb-disclosed-documents-reveal-path\" >Go to Original &#8211; theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>6 Aug 2020 &#8211; The Lebanese prime minister on Tuesday [4 Aug] blamed the explosion on 2,750-tonne store of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in bombs and fertilisers, stored at the port. Media reports from 2014 claimed a vessel carrying that load was impounded at Beirut\u2019s after making an emergency stop in the city and being denied permission to leave by customs authorities because it was deemed unseaworthy. In a letter published by a journalist, the ship was described as \u201ca floating bomb and the crew is a hostage aboard this bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":166414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[2096,2097],"class_list":["post-166413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-north-africa","tag-beirut","tag-lebanon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}