An undisclosed number of officials at the Port of Beirut are being placed under house arrest while authorities probe the deadly explosion in Lebanon.
The move was a decision made by the country’s parliament after it was determined that some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored in the port, which was the epicenter of the blast, since it was taken off of a ship in 2013, according to the Associated Press. Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer product and component in some forms of explosives used in mining and construction.
The Tuesday explosion shocked and paralyzed Lebanon’s capital city, killing at least 135 people and wounding 5,000 more. Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud said that the blast rendered between 250,000 and 300,000 people homeless because of the colossal damage it inflicted. The blast damaged buildings for miles around and was felt as far away as Cyprus, an island some 150 miles from the epicenter.
A letter emerged in the aftermath of the blast that appeared to show the head of the port’s customs department warning the government to take action and move the chemical on multiple occasions, although its authenticity has not yet been officially confirmed.
Following the blast, President Trump claimed that the explosion may have been the result of a bomb going off in an “attack,” but officials on the ground in Lebanon have not shared that assessment. The Washington Examiner has reached out to the White House for clarification about Trump’s assertion.
Abboud was asked by a reporter whether the blast was a result of a fire at the port facilities. He said he didn’t know, but added, “There was a fire, the [firefighters] came to put it out, then the explosion happened, and they went missing. We are looking for them.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the United States is prepared to assist Lebanon recover from the tragedy, although he did not speculate on the cause of the explosion.
