UK Fire Brigades Union urges govt to press for probe in Beirut blasts; joins Amnesty group

The United Kingdom Fire Brigades Union on Monday, November 2 announced that it has joined the Amnesty watchdog group's initiative to make the UK government demand an international investigation into the Beirut explosion that occurred on August 4.

"The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has joined Amnesty International in calling on the UK Government to press for a full international investigation into the devastating explosion in Beirut three months ago," the watchdog group said in a statement.

The organization further claimed that the Lebanese authorities are not interested in conducting a transparent and impartial probe into what happened. The FBU and Amnesty urged the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to support calls for a credible, international investigation in the explosion.

"The investigation should be mandated to assess all aspects of responsibility for the explosion, said Amnesty and the FBU, making its findings public," Amnesty International added.

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About Beirut blast

Lebanon's capital Beirut was struck by massive explosions on August 4 killing at least 204 people and injuring thousands of others. According to reports, the explosion was caused by 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, equivalent to 1.2 kt of TNT, that was unsafely stored at Beirut port since 2014 and was purportedly triggered by an intense fire nearby the warehouse. The blast left nearly 3,00,000 people homeless while thousands had to live in damaged buildings and some had to be shifted to shared shelters, with limited access to water and sanitation. It is said to be among the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in recorded history.  
Prime Minister Hassan Diab had to resign following widespread protests by civilians who took to streets demanding reforms in the government. Lebanon's former colonial master France was among the first countries to send help with French President Emmanuel Macron visiting the country on the same day and proactively taking part in the developments that followed after the explosions.
The blast occurred when Lebanon was already grappling with multiple crises including the wrath of the pandemic as COVID-19 cases were surging in the capital city in the month of August compelling the government to impose lockdown to control the surge, besides the country's currency collapsing, while the country was reeling in months of demonstrations against the political systems.

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(With ANI inputs) (Image AP)