Beirut Explosion Update: Lebanon Detains 16 People As Part Of Inquiry

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Search and rescue workers sift through damaged buildings Thursday in Beirut after this week’s huge explosion at the Lebanese capital’s port caused widespread damage.

Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Search and rescue workers sift through damaged buildings Thursday in Beirut after this week’s huge explosion at the Lebanese capital’s port caused widespread damage.

Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Authorities in Lebanon have detained 16 people as part of an urgent investigation into the enormous explosion that devastated Beirut’s port area and much of the city on Tuesday. The blast has been traced to an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse.

Judge Fadi Akiki, a government representative at the military court, said more than 18 people have been questioned so far, including port and customs officials, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.

There are currently 16 people in custody, Akiki said, while others remain under investigation.

Tuesday’s blast killed at least 137 people and injured thousands more. Emergency crews have been working to find all the victims, sifting through rubble and collapsed structures.

French President Emmanuel Macron made a heralded visit to Beirut on Thursday, saying he was there to offer support to Lebanon’s people – but not necessarily its government.

«This explosion is the beginning of a new era, Macron said, describing French disaster aid as a catalyst for political reform.

«Lebanon is in need of change and of a new political contract, he said. Macron added, «I am not here to support the state or the government; I am here to support the Lebanese people.

Well-wishers and passersby seemed to return the sentiment as crowds gathered around Macron when he surveyed the damage in Beirut’s streets. Many vented their fury at Lebanon’s leaders.

«Down with the regime! Beirut residents chanted as Macron’s group moved through the city.

Macron mobbed in Beirut. Down with the regime, locals chanted, and called for Revolution while declaiming Lebanon's President Aoun. pic.twitter.com/4ntkZToUFj

— Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) August 6, 2020

The thousands of damaged buildings include NPR’s bureau in Beirut. The bureau’s landlord is an architect who has spent his career restoring traditional Lebanese homes, NPR’s Ruth Sherlock said.

«He watched much of his life’s work be destroyed in the blink of an eye, Sherlock said Thursday on Morning Edition. «And he said, ‘You know, Lebanese are used to damage from the country’s 15 years of civil war. But this destruction was like the destruction of all of the civil war in a single moment.’ «

Ammonium nitrate like the material stored at the warehouse is used for a range of purposes, from making fertilizers to powering bombs. Lebanon’s leaders said the ammonium nitrate had been stored under dangerous conditions for years.

«It seems the ammonium nitrate may actually have come on a ship that made an unscheduled stop at the Beirut port in 2013 because of technical difficulties, Sherlock said. «And then it was abandoned by the Russian businessman who leased it. Apparently, customs officials appealed six times to Lebanese courts for guidance on what to do, warning of the risk of keeping a dangerous substance in the crowded city.

Those details support suspicions that the explosion was not the result of an attack but simply the result of negligence.