Container falls at port: YASA demands 'immediate measures to ensure safety'

BEIRUT — Following the fall of a container at the port of Beirut on Wednesday, the road safety association YASA called on the Public Works and Transport Ministry as well as the port administration to "immediately take measures to ensure public safety and road safety within its premises."

In a statement published by the National News Agency (NNA), the association stressed "the need to adopt clear plans that include compliance with truck quality standards and the necessary safety standards for transport and handling operations," and stated that the falling container "could have cost innocent lives and turned the port into the scene of a new catastrophe."

The container reportedly fell from a truck due to the driver's excessive speed, according to a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity and told L'Orient Today that the incident did happen "within the port premises, but outside the terminal."

Contacted by our staff, the director general of the port of Beirut, Omar Itani, confirmed that the container fell from a truck but did not provide further details.