This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
Rescuers Scour Beirut Blast Zone as First Arrests Made ¶
Beirut, August 7, 2020 - Rescuers combed through the rubble of Beirut port in a search for survivors, with authorities making five new arrests in a high-profile probe following the devastating explosion that killed at least 154 people and devastated swathes of the capital.
Shock has turned to anger in Lebanon since Tuesday's colossal explosion, with security forces firing tear gas at demonstrators who gathered near parliament late Thursday.
The revelation that a huge shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate fertiliser had languished for years in a warehouse in the heart of the capital served as shocking proof to many Lebanese of the rot at the core of their political system.
Near the seat of the explosion, by the carcass of the port's giant grain silos, rescue teams from France, Germany, Italy and other countries coordinated their search efforts.
Four bodies were uncovered in the search area next to an exit staircase by the port's control room, where a significant number of people were expected to have been working at the time of the blast.
No one has been found alive.
French President Emmanuel Macron was the first world leader to touch down in Lebanon on Thursday, where he pressed officials to enact deep reform ahead of an aid conference planned in the coming days.
Lebanese authorities had announced their own probe into Tuesday's explosion and by Friday afternoon had detained 21 people, including customs officials and port engineers, a judicial source said.
The port's general manager Hassan Koraytem was among them, the source added.
Dozens more were being interrogated by Lebanon's military court, which is focusing its efforts on administrative and security officials at the port as well as government authorities who may have ignored warnings about explosive materials at the port.
