Splash247: Questions remain on sixth anniversary of Beirut’s deadly port blast

Published by Splash247

Six years ago today, Beirut was torn apart by one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. The detonation of ammonium nitrate stored at the city’s port killed more than 220 people, injured thousands and displaced around 300,000, with the devastation captured in satellite imagery.

For the first time since August 4, 2020, Lebanon’s investigation is technically complete. Judge Tarek Bitar closed his inquiry in March after years of political obstruction, lawsuits and periods when the probe was effectively frozen.

The thousands-page case file, involving around 70 defendants spanning politicians, security officials, military personnel and civil servants, is now with the public prosecutor’s office for its final submissions.

President Joseph Aoun this week demanded that the process move forward, declaring that publication of the indictment “can no longer be delayed”.

Once the file is returned, Bitar must issue an indictment setting out the evidence, alleged offences and individuals he believes should stand trial. The case would then move to Lebanon’s Court of Justice, whose eventual verdict cannot be appealed.

This means the inquiry may be finished, but accountability has barely started. No official has yet been convicted.

The indictment must establish the chain of responsibility for allowing a huge cargo of ammonium nitrate to remain inside a densely populated capital for years despite repeated warnings. It must also address who owned, financed and controlled the shipment, how it entered the port, what caused the warehouse fire and whether officials deliberately obstructed efforts to remove the material or investigate the disaster.

Victims’ families warned on Tuesday that “a file on a desk is not accountability”.Beirut’s lesson is that dangerous-goods codes are worthless without enforcement.

UN and OECD reviews have stressed the need for accurate information and labelling, limits on ammonium nitrate volumes, rapid removal of stranded cargoes, proper segregation and ventilation, regular inspections and trained emergency teams rather than relying solely on municipal firefighters. Ports must also conduct realistic drills and maintain clear lines of responsibility between terminal operators, customs, security agencies and civil defence.

Above all, Beirut showed that hazardous cargo becomes most dangerous when everybody knows about it, but nobody takes ownership of it.