Clashes as hundreds protest against Lebanon govt

Clashes between protesters and security forces erupted in Beirut on Saturday, in the wake of Tuesday's massive explosion that devastated the city.

Tear gas could be seen, with some protesters throwing objects.

Tuesday's blast claimed at least 154 lives, wounded more than 5,000 people and laid waste to the country’s largest port and nearby areas, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

The explosion of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, apparently set off by a fire, was the biggest in Lebanon’s history and caused an estimated $10-15 billion worth of damage, according to Beirut’s governor.

It came at a time when Lebanon is mired in its worst economic and financial crisis in decades making it difficult for many people who had their properties damaged to fix them.

Documents that surfaced after the blast showed that for years officials had been repeatedly warned that the presence of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port posed a grave danger, but no one acted to remove it.

Officials have been blaming one another since the explosion and 19 people have been detained including the port’s chief, head of Lebanon’s customs department and his predecessor.

(Representative Image)