A view on Beirut port's silos, destroyed by the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion. (Credit: João Sousa/File photo)
BEIRUT — France's foreign affairs ministry paid tribute to the victims of the Beirut port explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, on Friday by calling for "all possible light" to be shed on the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
The port explosion left over 220 people dead and more than 6,500 injured. The investigation into the tragedy to stalled due to political interference.
"Three years after the explosion in the port of Beirut, France has not forgotten the victims and expresses its solidarity with their families and loved ones," the Quai d'Orsay said in a statement.
"The Lebanese expect the explosion to be fully investigated. France hopes that the Lebanese justice system will be able to resume the investigation in full transparency, free from any political interference," the statement continued. "France continues to stand by Lebanon, as it has always done."
The Aug. 4, 2020, port explosion was caused by a fire in the port's Hanger 12, where thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate — an explosive also used as fertilizer — had been stored without adequate safety measures.
Several French citizens were among the victims of the explosion.