Lebanon to Question Officials as French Team Aids Blast Probe
Lebanon Seeks Help From French Bomb Experts For Probe Into Blast
(Bloomberg) --
Lebanon will question a former public works minister and the general manager of Beirut port over the blast that destroyed the facility and nearby city districts, as a French team of experts arrived to aid the investigation.
An investigations team headed by the Lebanese army will seek answers from ex-minister Ghazi Aridi, according to a person in the prime minister’s office who asked not to be named as the information is private. Aridi led the public works ministry until 2013, when the ship carrying the material blamed for the catastrophic explosion first docked at the port.
The team will also question the port’s chief, Hassan Koraytem, on Aug. 7, the person said, adding that more officials will be called in for questioning in the coming days.
The government has placed all officials who could be held responsible for the blast under house arrest pending the end of the probe. It also put Beirut under military control and announced a state of emergency in the capital for two weeks. At least 135 people were killed and thousands injured in Tuesday’s tragedy.
A team of seven French explosives experts arrived in Beirut to help the investigation, said state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat.
Officials have pointed to a vast store of ammonium nitrate unloaded from a ship six years ago as responsible for the blast. But Lebanon decided to seek the French expertise to identify the exact chemical and quantity involved, Oueidat said, adding it was important to know if any other materials were involved. The French report will be handed over to Lebanese authorities, he said.
The French experts previously worked on an investigation into a 2001 blast in Toulouse, which was caused by ammonium nitrate.
Outrage over the government’s role in the calamity is running high in the Lebanon. Prominent opposition leaders Walid Joumblatt and Samir Geagea on Thursday called for an international probe into the incident.
The chemicals suspected of causing the deadly explosion had been lying in the port storage for six years despite warnings from customs officials about its hazards, documents show.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.