Beirut explosion: Anti-government protests break out in city
People have blamed government negligence, corruption and mismanagement for the blast
Earlier on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron also visited the city and said Lebanon needed to see"profound change" from authorities.Media playback is unsupported on your deviceA city of sirens, empty buildings and empty streetsThis port was Lebanon's lifeline to the whole world. Something like 80% of the country's grain came through here. The grain silos, which were built way back when, are teetering. Just beyond there I can see a ship listing heavily.
The thing that really strikes me is how enormously stupid it was, what criminal negligence it took to leave this highly explosive material right in the very heart of this city, within yards of people, their homes, their businesses. And the authorities here knew - they had been warned that these chemicals were dangerous and that they were a great risk to Beirut and Lebanon.
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