Friday, March 29

The collapse of part of the Beirut silos anchors the Lebanese in trauma


  • While the symbols of the tragedy are collapsing, the relatives of the victims of the explosion of August 4, 2020 lead titanic efforts so that collective amnesia does not permeate the entire Lebanese society

Again, the smoke. An intense cloud of smoke has once again covered the sky in grey. Beirut this Tuesday morning. Among the dust, there were the remains, less and less, of the port silos of the Lebanese capital. Thus lies half of the wall that saved the city more than two years ago. The 48-meter-high structure absorbed much of the impact of the burst that killed more than 200 people and injured 6,000 on the afternoon of August 4th in Beirut. Now, the absent hand of the authorities has caused the collapse of the silos of the north. The southern ones remain, still upright, but quite damaged. Thus, gradually the collective oblivion of the tragedy begins to take its toll.

Since July, a fire at the foot of this structure that has been scratching the Beiruti skyline for half a century. The grain fermentation, abandoned among the ruins since the deflagration, seemed to be the cause. apparently the firemen and the soldiers of the Lebanese Army did not have the capacity to put it out. The authorities had warned of the possibility of the silos collapsing and claimed that they did not want risking life of their officials to put out the fire or drop water from the helicopters.

Perhaps the Lebanese political class did learn its lesson that August 4. Aware of the presence in the port of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion, did not hesitate to send a group of 10 firefighters when a fire started in the area. Were the first to die. Therefore, this time they wanted to avoid disaster. Or it may also be because the Government He has been trying to demolish the silos since April. The legislative initiative in the Parliament was stopped thanks to the protests of the families of the victims and the survivors.

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tragedy symbol

Silos have become the symbol of tragedy. tall and sturdy, they saved the Lebanese people from an even deadlier catastrophe. decaying and abandoned, reflect like a faithful mirror the state of the country. They embody the political class inaction lebanese A political class that has been blocking an investigation for two years to clarify the chain of negligence that was triggered on that fateful August 4. embody the tired of a society so crushed that they have taken away the ability to react. A society that watches impassively as the smoke takes over its city.

The collapse of the silos this Tuesday has not caused victims or injuries, since the area, unlike the day of the explosion, has been evacuated. For survivors of the explosion and residents near the port, seeing half of this impressive structure collapse has been a shock. new catalyst for her trauma. The port explosion also started with a fire and a large smoke. The Ministries of Environment and Health They have issued instructions for the population adjacent to the town: that they remain indoors in well-ventilated spaces and wear masks to avoid ingesting toxic gases.

But the reality on the street is different. Mistrust in the political class coupled with economic need in a country with more than 80% of citizens below the poverty line prevents them from stopping their lives again. Meanwhile, the relatives of the victims continue to demand justice. This afternoon they will go out into the street. “We feel a bit alone in this battle,” he explains. Paul Naggear. The explosion on August 4 killed her 3-year-old daughter Alexandra. “we will never stop; no matter how many walls they put up on us, we will continue to fight for alternative ways and we will continue to press,” she said.

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Macron veto

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The main battle of the families, now, is that the United Nations Human Rights Council create an international investigation commission on the explosion. But French government of Emmanuel Macron does not stop putting obstacles. “We will not get very far if Macron continues to block a possible investigation,” Naggear denounced to this newspaper. Gone are those days immediately after the tragedy in which the French president became the first politician to go down to the street and comfort the Lebanese, before any national politician did.

“Macron has put the geopolitical interests of France on Lebanese human lives,” says Naggear. As the symbols of the tragedy crumble, these families lead titanic efforts so that their fight does not fall into oblivion. The tragedy claimed more than 200 lives, injured some six thousand and drove more than 300,000 people out of their homes immediately. Even so, this afternoon they hardly expect a handful of dozens of protesters. Little by little, the collective amnesia settles in an already gray Beirut.


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