Lebanon

BEIRUT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 employees at Port of Beirut have been detained over deadly explosions that rocked the port on Tuesday, Government Commissioner to the Military Tribunal Judge Fadi Akiki announced on Thursday evening.

Akiki said that more than 18 people have been questioned so far, including port and customs officials as well as people in charge of maintenance at the hangar where explosive materials have been stored for years, the National News Agency reported.

BEIRUT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Port of Tripoli said Thursday that it is ready to temporarily replace the Port of Beirut which was devastated by two powerful explosions on Tuesday.

Ahmed Tamer, director of the Tripoli port, told Xinhua that the port has completed all its preparations to receive the aid ships sent to Lebanon and the vessels that transport products and goods.

"The port has witnessed during the past years the expansion work by Chinese companies, and it has received the largest ships from China, carrying a big number of containers," he said.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s leading Druze politician Walid Jumblatt called on Thursday for an international investigation into the Beirut port explosion and said he had “no trust” in the government to find out the truth about it.

“We have no trust at all in this ruling gang,” said Jumblatt, whose party has lawmakers in parliament but is not in the cabinet, which took office in January with backing from the Hezbollah movement and its allies.

06 Aug 2020; MEMO: The international community has rushed to deliver aid to Lebanon in the wake of the explosions which rocked the capital Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 137 and injuring thousands more.

06 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Governor of Beirut Marwan Abboud announced on Wednesday that 300,000 Lebanese citizens have become homeless in the wake of the massive explosion that occurred in Beirut port, Al Watan Voice reported.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese army bulldozers plowed through wreckage to reopen roads around Beirut’s demolished port Thursday, a day after the government pledged to investigate this week’s devastating explosion and placed port officials under house arrest.

The blast Tuesday, which appeared to have been caused by an accidental fire that ignited a stockpile of ammonium nitrate at the port, rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 135 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing widespread destruction.

August 5. /TASS/: The Orient Queen cruise ship owned by Lebanon’s Abou Merhi Group has sunk in Beirut's port after the explosion that shocked the city yesterday. As OTV reported Wednesday, two people who were onboard when the incident happened died, while seven more were injured.

According to the cruise ship owner, the vessel was docked in Beirut's port. The blast seriously damaged the Orient Queen, allowing water to seep in. Attempts to quickly fix and save the ship failed and she sank in the port.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Initial investigations indicate years of inaction and negligence over the storage of highly explosive material in Beirut port caused the blast that killed over 100 people on Tuesday, an official source familiar with the findings said.

The prime minister and presidency said on Tuesday that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures.

BEIRUT (AP) — Residents of Beirut awoke to a scene of utter devastation on Wednesday, a day after a massive explosion at the port sent shock waves across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 100 people and wounding thousands.

Smoke was still rising from the port, where a towering grain silos had been shattered. Major downtown streets were littered with debris and damaged vehicles, and building facades were blown out.

BEIRUT, Aug 4 (NNN-NNA) – Newly-appointed Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charbel Wehbi, emphasised the need for Lebanon to strengthen ties with all friendly countries, to get out of its crisis, local media reported.

“Lebanon has friendly ties with countries that are still effective in the international arena,” Wehbi was quoted as saying, by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.

Wehbi did not rule out future visits to Syria, to achieve some goals for his country.

“We should be open to visit any Arab country,” he said.