Suffering remains one month on from Beirut blast

One month after the catastrophic explosion of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate in Beirut's port, the Lebanese capital is still suffering.

The massive blast killed 191 people, injured more than 6,000 and is considered one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.

Thousands of homes were damaged and large areas of Beirut destroyed.

The World Bank last week estimated that Lebanon incurred 3.8-4.6 billion US dollars worth of damage.

In the the street parallel to the port of Beirut in the Mar Mikhael neighbourhood, residents are suffering from a lack of government aid.

Joseph Mitri, a 45 year old resident said that in 15 seconds his house lost its ceiling.

He complained of the failure of the Lebanese state to provide logistical assistance, funds for reconstruction and the lack of interest of the non-governmental organisations.

An unprecedented economic crisis had already cost the Lebanese currency more than 80% of its value, driving unemployment, poverty and inflation through the roof.

With the financial crisis draining the country and poverty affecting nearly half of the population, the future of companies impacted by the explosion remains uncertain.

In his scooter centre, Robert Hajj called on the banks to release his money in order to fix his destroyed building and replace his stock.

Since a nationwide protest that erupted in October 2019, the Lebanese have lost faith in their political ruling system.

People are now calling for early parliamentary elections and a new government that excludes figures from the current political parties.

Jad Nasr, whose house above his pub was destroyed, called for financial help that goes nowhere near his country's politicians.

In another chilling reminder of the horrific explosion a month ago, the Lebanese military said it discovered a large deposit of ammonium nitrate near Beirut's port on Thursday.

The military statement said that customs officials had called in the army to inspect containers at a facility near the port, where they found 4.35 tons of ammonium nitrate.

It said army experts were "dealing with the material", apparently destroying it.

There were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner.