Lebanon Plans To Demolish Giant Grain Silos at Beirut Port

Lebanese officials said they will demolish the northern section of the giant grain silos that were damaged in the explosion at the Beirut Port in 2020, which killed over 220 and wounded 7,000. The decision, which comes just after the second anniversary of the blast, was made after some of the silos collapsed earlier this month. The collapse came after fermented grain in the severely damaged silos caught fire in early July and smoldered for weeks.

The government had first announced plans to demolish the silos in April but was met with opposition from the public. The 157-foot-tall silos absorbed much of the force of the 2020 explosion and protected Beirut’s western neighborhoods from the blast’s worst. Many want the silos to remain as a monument to the explosion.

Meanwhile, fear remains that more sections of the giant silos could collapse.