Lebanon marks one year since deadly Beirut explosion

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Aug. 4, 2021 marks one year since a massive explosion ripped through Beirut, Lebanon, leaving more than 200 dead, thousands injured, and a country devastated.

It happened at 6:07 p.m. It was a hot summer’s evening and many unsuspecting people were going about their daily activities while hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar along with other highly combustible materials exploded lit up at the Port of Beirut, setting off a blast that tore through the country’s capital, leaving more than 300,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, and was the result of what many people have described as the negligence of top officials in Lebanon who are said to have known about the stockpile.

On Wednesday, a moment of silence was held below the port’s wheat silos, which once stood as a recognizable landmark in Lebanon from the Mediterranean Sea.

We will remember them / Nous nous souviendrons d’eux
August 4th / 4 août pic.twitter.com/pBj1exG4da

— Chantal Chastenay (@CChastenay) August 4, 2021

Grieving the 214 lives lost in the blast, many have shared messages on social media.

“I remember storming out of a lecture after seeing the news of the Beirut Blast to make sure that my parents and brothers were still alive. I drove on that road every day for 7 years. RIP to all the victims of this atrocity, could have been any one of us,” one person said on Twitter.

“One year ago. Still nothing changed,” another wrote, echoing a sentiment widely shared online.

https://twitter.com/mhdksafa/status/1422906420253634564

The explosion came as Lebanon struggled with other crises: a crippling economic crisis, only exacerbated in the months that followed, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which had already overwhelmed hospitals.

“The public health system is stretched beyond its limits from the double impact of the economic crisis and the COVID-19 outbreak. People are increasingly unable to access and afford health care amid growing shortages of important medicines and medical supplies,” said Deputy Special Coordinator Najat Rochdi, who is also UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.

Over the course of two years — and only made worse by the devastating blast in 2020 — the Lebanese pound has lost more than 90 per cent of its value. The unemployment rate has soared to over 30 per cent.

According to the United Nations, between April 2019 and April 2021, Lebanon’s consumer price index increased by more than 200 per cent. The price of food rose by 670 per cent, and more than half of the Lebanese population is living in poverty.

Painted on a wall opposite the still mangled port, a large slogan declares, “My government did this.”

Quick shots from the protest at the Port of Beirut on the one year anniversary of the blast. Will be here a while; not sure about how much I will post though. pic.twitter.com/DI5SL4xwaR

— Shane Liesegang, SJ (شَيْن) (@OptimistPanda) August 4, 2021

A year later, critics say the political leadership has succeeded in stonewalling the judicial investigation that was launched to uncover what happened in the explosion and who was responsible. Aiming to get around the barriers, another group of families is calling for an international fact-finding mission by the U.N. Human Rights Council.

President Michel Aoun said no one will have political cover if they are found negligent or guilty but has not addressed accusations that officials are obstructing the investigation.

After the explosion, documents emerged showing the ammonium nitrate had been stored improperly at the port since 2014 and that multiple high-level officials over the years knew of its presence and did nothing.

Grief and anguish after the blast quickly turned to anger, as many people in Lebanon took to the streets in protest, calling for action to be taken.

On Wednesday, people marched in droves through the streets of Beirut toward the port, where families were expected to speak on the anniversary of the explosion.

Several thousand in this single march in Beirut, there are several others moving through the city.

People unequivocal in chants:
-All politicians responsible, corrupt, “criminals,” “terrorists”
-Justice, end to impunity now
-“Revenge until the regime falls.” pic.twitter.com/rhw6UHjlfz

— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) August 4, 2021

Images and video from the city show the crowd moving through the city, many waving Lebanese flags or walking with them draped over their shoulders. Demonstrators continue to demand accountability from the government.

Live from Jemmayze, Beirut#BeirutExplosion pic.twitter.com/5LGC5U6Ve1

— Nizar (@hitsnizar) August 4, 2021

Aid for Lebanon

On Wednesday, Canada expressed its support for the Lebanese people. Canada was one of the many countries to offer Lebanon immediate aid in the wake of the explosion, providing at the time $20 million in humanitarian assistance. An additional $10 million to aid early recovery was also provided, according to a new statement from the government.

“This included the Government of Canada matching $8 million generously donated by Canadians to the Lebanon Matching Fund to support the humanitarian needs of people whose lives have been affected by the disaster. The funding is helping families and supporting small-scale farmers and the local food chain,” the joint statement from Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau and Minister of International Development Karina Gould reads.

The statement adds Canada will be donating $20 million tot he World Banks’ Lebanon Financing Facility, which aims to help the socio-economic recovery of the country’s people and businesses.

“Canada will always remember that this explosion killed at least 200 people, including children, wounded thousands, displaced 300,000 people and destroyed half the city,” the statement continues. “As we grieve, our hearts are with the victims’ loved ones, who still await a full investigation. This was a devastating blow to Lebanon as it struggled with an ongoing socio-economic crisis made worse by the global pandemic. Canada reiterates its call for a full and transparent investigation into, and accountability for, the explosion in the Port of Beirut.”

Today marks one year since the devastating explosion in #Beirut.

Our hearts are with the victims and their families, who still await a full investigation of the event that cost them so dearly.

Read the statement https://t.co/LQse90vPuy pic.twitter.com/jseVWBFtyP

— Development Canada (@CanadaDev) August 4, 2021

Canada has pledged any additional support, should it be needed. However, the country continues to call for leaders to take meaningful action, adding reforms are desperately needed.

“Canada remains committed to continuing its efforts and to working with the international community to pressure Lebanon’s leaders to deliver on the legitimate demands of the Lebanese people.”

Meanwhile, an international conference on Lebanon Wednesday aims to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to meet the country’s humanitarian needs.

The virtual event, co-hosted by France and the United Nations, will include dozens of world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and organizations.

Aid will focus on food, schools, health, and clean water. In addition to raising money, the event is also meant to put additional pressure on Lebanon’s leaders to form a new government, amid outcry from the Lebanese people and the international community.

According to the United Nations, about 1.5 million Lebanese people and 400,000 migrant workers are in need of aid.

-With files from The Associated Press