Beirut blast families take legal action to protect destroyed silos – The National

Beirut blast families take legal action to protect destroyed silos – The National

The families of the Beirut port explosion have filed several lawsuits at Lebanon’s Shura council to stop the Lebanese government from demolishing the remains of Beirut’s imposing grain silos.

The August 2020 port explosion killed at least 215 people. The grain silos, which stand precariously over the wreckage of the destroyed port, have become a monument for what the families of the victims say is the corruption and criminal ineptitude of government authorities — widely believed by Lebanese to be responsible for the devastating blast.

In April, the government approved the demolition of the silos on the basis that the structure was at risk of collapse. But, the lawsuits allege, the government has failed to support this claim with scientific evidence.