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BEIRUT PORT

A blueprint of the Beirut port silos that collapsed and those that remain

A blueprint of the Beirut port silos that collapsed and those that remain

A graphic shows the Beirut port silos and the impact faced after the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion, as well as the three events of collapse of the silos' north side. (Courtesy of Emmanuel Durand)

BEIRUT — The last eight silos that remained at the Beirut port silos’ northern bloc collapsed Tuesday morning, sending up a cloud of dust and leaving behind the stable southern bloc, which officials said will be preserved as a memorial. This graphic prepared by French civil engineer Emmanuel Durand illustrates in detail the fallen silos and those that remain.

According to Durand, who has been volunteering alongside a team of experts to study and monitor the silos, the silos marked in red are the remains of the four silos which collapsed on July 31, while those marked in yellow are the remains of another four silos that collapsed in a morbid twist of fate, on the second anniversary of the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion. The red and yellow sections were initially built together.

The section marked in purple consists of the remains of eight silos that were initially built together and collapsed on Tuesday. The silos marked in yellow and purple were separated by a construction joint.

Marked in blue are the 12 remaining silos located on the port silos’ southern side, all of which are stable. All 16 silos of the northern block that had initially survived the blast on Aug. 4, 2020, fell in the direction of the explosion site, to the east. The area marked in green illustrates the silos destroyed two years ago by the explosion on the northern and southern side, totaling 20 silos.

Durand has been observing and monitoring the port silos “minute after minute” using tilt sensors of Swiss and Italian technology, three of which were mounted on the silos’ northern bloc and one remains on the southern bloc. The sensors provide accurate live information about the silos’ condition and tilt measurements.

Beirut's port silos, pictured Tuesday, shortly after the collapse of the wheat silo's northern part. (Credit: Mohammed Yassin/L'Orient Today)

No injuries were reported following the collapse on Tuesday as all employees had been evacuated from the vicinity of the port silos.

Later that afternoon, families of the Beirut port explosion’s victims blocked the highway near the Emigrant Statue facing the port silos demanding the resumption of the investigation into the blast and the preservation of the port silos’ southern section, saying they will not allow "the graveyard" of their kids to be demolished.

Families of the victims of the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut blast protest after the collapse of the north part of the port's wheat silos on Tuesday. The investigation into the port explosion, more than two years on, remains at a stand-still. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated earlier Tuesday that the remaining Beirut port silos will be preserved as a memorial and a demolition order issued by the government in March will be revoked.

BEIRUT — The last eight silos that remained at the Beirut port silos’ northern bloc collapsed Tuesday morning, sending up a cloud of dust and leaving behind the stable southern bloc, which officials said will be preserved as a memorial. This graphic prepared by French civil engineer Emmanuel Durand illustrates in detail the fallen silos and those that remain.According to Durand, who has been...