Beirut Explosion Blamed on Russian Ship Abandoned for Years in Port

The scenes out of Lebanon this week have been both brutal and heart-wrenching.

An enormous explosion rocked the city of Beirut just days ago, killing over 100 people and injuring thousands more.  The shockwave was powerful enough to damage homes over 10km away, and flatten entire city blocks.

The devastation was captured by locals, who immediately shared what they saw on social media:

A photographer in Beirut was filming a bride on her wedding day when an explosion suddenly ripped through the Lebanese capital https://t.co/csyd9RiL3b pic.twitter.com/qZpZxG8H1V

— CNN (@CNN) August 6, 2020

A video from a Jetski just offshore during the explosion in Beirut #Lebanon #Beirut pic.twitter.com/VovKCPtAR5

— CNW (@ConflictsW) August 5, 2020

 

The Beirut explosion killed at least 135, injured over 5,000 and displaced some 300,000 people. It was so intense that it was felt 150 miles away in Cyprus. We reviewed dozens of videos to better understand what happened and the devastation it left behind. https://t.co/kGUYOhQ3XH pic.twitter.com/m3y6RJJrlD

— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) August 5, 2020

Now, a culprit has been named.

Investigators probing the devastating blast in Beirut that killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 more are pointing to a Russian ship docked in the city’s port for nearly seven years without appropriate security precautions that officials warned was “a floating bomb.”

The Russian vessel, named MV Rhosus, carrying agricultural fertilizer with 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate and en route to Mozambique hit a financial snag and docked in the Beruit port in 2013, according to legal documents and Lebanese officials, the Washington Post reported.

Lebanon’s director of customs, Badri Daher, repeatedly sent letters to the judiciary over the years and warned that the cargo was the equivalent of “a floating bomb,” but the warnings went unheeded.

Port authorities are continuing their investigation, and have stated that they will be holding those responsible for the tragic mishap accountable.