CHAOS IN BEIRUT

Angry Lebanese take justice into their own hands, protesting in the streets: 'On the gallows with them!' The captain of the Russian ship warned the authorities in 2014. And then the port workers repeated it: "This is an explosive cargo." Writes: Karla JuničićPosted: 07. August 2020. 11:11 Protests in Beirut Protests in Beirut Screenshot YouTube Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail RELATED NEWS 8408669 THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES 16 people arrested for a violent explosion in Beirut, and the general manager of the port was arrested EXPLOSION IN BEIRUT The last nail in the coffin: We lost a vein, do you know how many wheat reserves we have in the country? Lebanese security forces fired tear gas at protesters in Beirut after the crowd gathered on Thursday night to express their anger at the reaction of the country's leadership after a mass explosion that destroyed much of the city. State media reported late Thursday that security forces had confronted hundreds of anti-government protesters in central Beirut, some of them wounded. The National News Agency NNA reported that protesters gathered near parliament where they lit a small fire and threw stones at security forces. Activists called for larger anti-government protests on Saturday that should be held under the slogan "on the gallows with them". The shock after the blast escalated into Lebanese anger after nearly 150 people died and more than 5,000 were injured as a result of ammonium nitrate stored in the port for six years. Lebanese Ambassador to Jordan Tracy Chamoun resigned on Thursday in a "protest against state negligence, theft and lying". Chamoun, who got her position with the approval of President Michel Aoun, said in a television statement broadcast on Lebanese television MTV that she "can no longer tolerate" the government's incompetence. Her resignation is also the second resignation of an official after the explosion. MP Marwan Hamadeh resigned on Wednesday. image French rescuers who arrived Thursday with President Macron afp As expected, the explosion also led to an increase in coronavirus cases. Lebanon recorded 255 cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the biggest one-day increase, and hospitals are now flooded with new wounded patients. The death toll from the disaster rose from 137 to 149 on Thursday night, the health ministry said, and that number is expected to rise as many people remain missing and rescuers search and dig through the rubble. Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab have vowed to put those responsible for the disaster behind bars. Military prosecutors said they had detained 16 port workers. Many wonder how a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship, the MV Rhosus, ended up in port at all. An explosive ship The ship started the route in Batumi, Georgia and was supposed to reach Beir in Mozambique. It carried 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate which is usually found in the form of small pellets which are widely used as agricultural fuel but can also be mixed with fuel oil to make explosives in the mining and construction industries. image Over 300,000 apartments were destroyed in Beirut - Due to technical problems while navigating the Mediterranean, Rhosus had to dock in the port of Beirut according to a 2015 report by Lebanese lawyers representing seafarers. Rhosus was inspected by port officials and "banned from sailing" due to insecurity. Most of the crew was returned to their homeland, except for Russian captain Boris Prokoshev and three other people, allegedly Ukrainian sailors. Prokoshev told Reuters on Thursday that Rhosus had a malfunction but was able to sail. Its owner sent it to Beirut to pick up additional cargo and heavy equipment. But the crew could not unload their equipment safely. As the shipowner did not pay the port fee, the Lebanese authorities seized the cargo and did not allow the ship to sail out of the port. Soon after, Rhosus was abandoned by his owner, and the crew was left alone. They ran out of food and supplies, and sent a report to an emergency judge in Beirut to allow them to return home stressing the danger of dangerous cargo on board. The judge eventually agreed to allow the crew to disembark and in 2014, port authorities transferred ammonium nitrate to “Warehouse 12,” next to the grain silo. Lawyers said the cargo is awaiting auction and / or proper disposal. warnings Prokoshev said the cargo was highly explosive because the ammonium nitrate was in a very high concentration and therefore remained on board while the sailors were there. - I feel the grief of people (killed or injured by the explosion). But the local authorities, the Lebanese, need to be punished. They did not worry about the burden at all - he said. image A collapsed building in the Mar Mikhael district Patrick Baz Port General Manager Hassan Koraytem (reported among detainees) and Lebanese Customs Director Badri Daher said on Wednesday that they and other officials had repeatedly warned the judiciary of the dangers posed by stored ammonium nitrate and the need to remove it. It can be seen from the documents that customs officers sent letters to the emergency judge in Beirut asking for instructions on how to sell or remove the cargo at least six times from 2014 to 2017. Koraytem told the local OTV channel that the State Security had also sent warning letters. Public Works Minister Michel Najjar , who took office earlier this year, told Al Jazeera that he only found out about the presence of ammonium nitrate in late July and that he had discussed the matter with Koraytem on Monday. The fire appears to have activated the detonation of ammonium nitrate the next day. President Aoun said the failure to resolve Rhosus' burden was "unacceptable" and promised that those responsible would be "punished with the most severe punishment". image View of the harbor Patrick Baz They took matters into their own hands But citizens fear the accident investigation will not go unbiased. The country's ruling class has long been accused of incompetence and corruption, and protesters on the streets in October last year demanded systemic change. After that, this country was hit by the worst economic crisis since the civil war that lasted from 1975 to 1990. During a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, the masses called for a revolution and the fall of the government. Macron promised that French aid "would not go into corrupt hands." But he also said the country must implement urgent reforms so as not to "continue to sink". image Young Lebanese Christelle Helou hugs a coffin during the funeral of her cousin Nicole (25) who died in a massive explosion Mahmoud Zayyat - I will talk to all political forces to ask them for a new pact. I am here today to propose a new political pact to them - he said. The International Monetary Fund, from which Lebanon is seeking more than $ 20 billion in external financing and now facing billions more in post-disaster costs, has called on the country to draw up a "program to turn the economy around". A positive glimmer of hope echoed in the humanitarian efforts and solidarity of the residents. The explosion of 2,759 tons of ammonium nitrate in the warehouse led to great material damage that residents and volunteers still clean from the streets today. Business owners offer free door repairs, replacement of damaged windows or painting of walls. Husam Abu Nasr , a 30-year-old volunteer, said: "We don't have a state to take these steps, so we took matters into our own hands.