Beirut vigil marks one week since catastrophic port explosion

Beirut vigil marks one week since catastrophic port explosion
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13 August 2020
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In Lebanon, mourners on Tuesday marked one week since a catastrophic explosion destroyed the Port of Beirut, killing more than 220 people, injuring 7,000 and leaving more than a quarter-million residents homeless.

Overnight, police fired tear gas at protesters who set fire to a gate leading to the Parliament building.  The mass resignation of Lebanon’s top government officials on Monday has failed to quell anger over a crushing economic crisis, record rates of COVID-19 infections and last week’s catastrophic blast.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports an American contractor working with the U.S. Army warned over four years ago about the hazard posed by over 2,700 tons of explosive ammonium nitrate fertilizer left unattended at Beirut’s port.  The U.S. State Department reportedly then failed to pass along the warning to U.S. allies.

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