New Beirut port silo collapse brings back blast trauma

Clouds of dust rise over the port after the collapse, which brought down the last of the northern block of silos.

The northern section of the grain silos damaged two years ago by a deadly blast at the Beirut port has collapsed after warnings the structure was leaning too far to stay up.

A cloud of dust rose over the port early on Tuesday after the collapse, which brought down eight more silos that were more heavily damaged in the blast and where a fire has been burning since July.

The remaining southern block is more stable and not at imminent risk of collapse, said French civil engineer Emmanuel Durand, who has installed sensors on the silos.

The 50-year-old, 48-metre-tall (157-foot) silos absorbed much of the impact when tonnes of incorrectly stored ammonium nitrate fertilizer went up in a massive explosion on August 4, 2020. The silos effectively shielded the western part of Beirut from the blast, which killed more than 200 people.

Part of the silos collapsed on July 31 and another section fell on August 4, the second anniversary of the blast.

A fire has been burning in the silos for more than a month as remaining grain stocks ferment in the summer heat.

Agencies