A delegation of relatives of the victims of the Aug. 4 tragedy meeting with Economy Minister Amer Bsat on March 30, 2025. (Photo provided by the victims' relatives)
A delegation of relatives of the victims of the Aug. 4 Beirut Port explosion met on Friday with the Economy Minister Amer Bsat to discuss the protection of the Beirut Port silos, which were severely damaged in 2020 and where a series of fires broke out in 2022.
The family representatives mentioned the law that protects this structure and emphasized the importance of preserving it as a "historical and humanitarian symbol that reminds the tragedy, the lost lives, and the suffering endured by the people of Beirut," while denouncing the potential psychological consequences of their demolition.
The government approved the demolition of the silos in March 2022. Two days later, the culture minister decided to classify them as historical monuments. At the end of August 2022, then-caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati sent a letter to the public works minister asking to "preserve the south block of the silos as a memorial to the memory of the port's martyrs."
The delegation also presented technical reports on the sustainability of the silos, the legal actions filed to overturn their demolition decision, and mentioned the existence of three law proposals submitted by different parliamentary groups to preserve them.
World Heritage registration
The victims' relatives noted having submitted, in April, an official request to the Culture Ministry to have the silos recognized as a heritage site, in view of their inclusion in the World Heritage list. They also presented Bsat with maps showing that the silos would not hinder operations at the port, and explained the impossibility of building new silos on the same site for structural reasons. They highlighted the necessity to immediately address the fermentation of grains to avoid fire risks, and the importance of an engineering study to reinforce the remaining silos, alongside an international competition to transform the site into an open memorial.
On Aug. 4, 2020, a devastating explosion at Beirut port killed more than 220 people, injured over 6,500, and destroyed a large part of the city. 16 silos from the north block of the port collapsed during three separate incidents after the explosion, one occurring on the second anniversary of the tragedy. For several months in 2022, Beirut residents reported a strong odor coming from the grain silos damaged by the explosion. Analyses conducted at the time revealed that air pollutants posed a danger to public health. At least one fire is believed to have been caused by fermenting corn left in the collapsed north silo.
Nearly five years later, the investigation into the tragedy has still not been completed, due to political interference.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.