Beirut Port Giant Grain Silos Damaged in 2020 Blast Collapse

Grain silos at Beirut’s port which were damaged in the explosion in 2020 collapsed on Sunday. The collapse came after fermented grain in the severely damaged silos caught fire in early July. The collapse of the northern bloc of the silos led to the area being covered in a thick cloud of gray dust, The Associated Press reported. No injuries were immediately reported.

Firefighters were unable to put out the fire that smoldered for weeks, which also led to a bad smell permeating local neighborhoods and to the order that local residents remain indoors.

Meanwhile, fear remains that more sections of the giant silos could collapse. The 157-foot-tall silos absorbed much of the 2020 explosion and protected western neighborhoods of Beirut from the worst of the blast.

The 2-year anniversary of the blast is fast approaching. The August 4, 2020 explosion killed more than 200, injured more than 6,000 and damaged much of Lebanon’s capital city.