EU Chief Urges Lebanon to Complete Probe Into Deadly Beirut Blast

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The investigation into a deadly explosion that decimated the Beirut port and killed over 200 needs to be completed promptly to deliver justice to the victims, European Council chief Charles Michel said Thursday.

“Completing the investigation into this tragedy without further delay is key for justice [and] accountability,” Michel said, adding the EU was ready to support Lebanese efforts in addressing what he termed as a “severe socioeconomic crisis.”

Thursday marks two years since the August 4, 2020 blast, in which a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in a port warehouse exploded, wounding 7,000 people and displacing 300,000 others.

A picture shows a view of the damaged grain silos at the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on April 9, 2021, still reeling from the destruction due to a catastrophic blast in a harbour storage unit last August that killed more than 200 people and damaged swathes of the capital, with the Togo-flagged "Fatima M" bulk carrier ship moored nearby.

© AFP 2023 / JOSEPH EID

The probe into who is responsible for what the UN calls one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in recent memory has been stalled amid political squabbling. A UN expert panel on Wednesday backed the request of victims’ relatives for an international investigation.

The explosion destroyed the main gateway of exports to Lebanon, which imports up to 80% of its food. Damaged grain silos in the port, a symbol of the tragedy, partially collapsed this week after catching fire in July. The UN says that affected areas remain in ruins while reconstruction funds have barely begun to reach beneficiaries.