Beirut: Six months after the explosions that scarred a city, in pictures
Neil Stevenson
·2 min read
Six months after the devastating explosions tore the heart out of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, a ship lies on its side in the destroyed port area, surrounded by piles of detritus from the catastrophe - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Six months after the Aug 4 blast that damaged much of the Lebanese capital, the scars of the explosion remain visible across Beirut.
The investigation into what happened has been brought to a virtual halt by the same political rivalries that have dogged the country for years.
What started as an investigation into how nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertiliser component, were stored in Beirut port for years, has taken a turn, wading into a web of murky international business interests in the explosives trade and global shipping.
While there are still few answers, the devastation wrought by the explosion has been captured vividly in new pictures taken from a drone from above the blast site and surrounding area.
A massive crater
The enormous explosion at the dockside warehouse left a crater 124 metres across - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The port has since reopened to ships, though large parts are still totally destroyed - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Grain silos bore the brunt
Grain silos near the site of the blast absorbed much of the blast and shielded West Beirut from worse damage - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Tonnes of grain and corn spilled out of the silos after the blast and six months on flocks of birds are still feeding at the site - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
There is no consensus about what to do with the ruined silos, under which bodies are still believed to be buried. Some Lebanese advocate leaving them as a memorial to those who died in the explosion - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Levelled warehouses
The blast flattened dozens of warehouses at the port, through which most Lebanon imports most of its goods - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Damaged vehicles are stored at the destroyed port area - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Meanwhile clean-up crews continue clearing the tonnes of wreckage strewn across the port - WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Traumatic memories remain fresh
An injured man stands at the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport in Beirut Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020 - Hussein Malla/AP
Over 200 people were killed in the blast, though authorities have never produced a definitive death toll, and six months on grieving relatives are still demanding answers. - AFP
A still from a video shows the scale of the explosion, with a huge mushroom cloud rising over the city after the blast - Triangle News
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