Fire Mishap At Beirut Port Weeks After The Deadly Explosion

Even before people could forget the massive blast that devastated the port and surrounding residential areas in Lebanese Capital a month ago, a store of oil and tyres at Beirut port caught fire on Thursday.

The fire emanated in the duty free zone of the port and there was a huge column of black smoke above the city. Military sources said the cause of the blaze was not clear.

The television footage showed fire fighting personnel trying to douse the blaze at the port, where warehouses and concrete grain godowns were shattered by the blast that occurred on August 4.

As many as 190 people were killed in last month’s explosion and a some area near the port was ruined. The blast was caused by a huge store of ammonium nitrate that had been kept at the port for years.

The blast also raised concerns over the ammonium nitrate stored at Vizag port. In the recent past, Vizag faced some tragic incidents like the styrene gas leak at LG Polymers and explosions at a couple of pharma companies which panicked the people.

Remembering these mishaps, people in Vizag alerted the officials to be careful about the ammonium nitrate stored at the port which could also end up in a disaster.