Major losses from fire at Port of Beirut

The value of losses caused by the fire at the Port of Beirut’s duty-free warehouse has reached US$15m, said TV channel LBCI, according to Xinhua, China’s official press agency.

Food products, oil, tires, beauty products, clothes, shoes, home appliances and electric equipment stored at the port for distribution to families in need were reportedly destroyed by the fire.

The cause of the fire is unclear and investigations are still ongoing. It follows two explosions at the port on 4 August which killed around 190 people. An investigation is currently taking place.

Communication manager and spokesperson at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Lebanon, Rona Halabi, noted that a large quantity of the products intended for distributed to families in Lebanon and Syria were destroyed by the fire. The port is a vital facility used by the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) to store products.

“We are working extensively to re-import products for needy families by using port of Tripoli or Beirut’s airport as an alternative,” Ms Halabi said.