One of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, the explosion killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and was felt in Cyprus, more than 240 km away.
One year since the disaster, caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years, no senior official has been held to account, infuriating many Lebanese as their country also endures financial collapse.
An investigation is stalling, with requests denied for immunity to be lifted from senior politicians and former officials. All those sought for questioning by the Lebanese investigators have denied any wrongdoing. "We want our rights - the rights of the martyrs and victims. Their immunities are not more dear than the blood of the martyrs and victims," said Hanan Hoteit, whose relative, Tharwat, was killed at the port.A Human Rights Watch report released this week concluded there was strong evidence to suggest some Lebanese officials knew about and tacitly accepted the lethal risks posed by ammonium nitrate.
That discrepancy is one of the many questions that remain unanswered. No one ever came forward to claim the shipment.Leading prayers at a hospital that was badly damaged in the blast, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi said the investigation must continue until punishment is meted out to those who deserve it.
The meltdown worsened throughout the last year with the governing elite failing to establish a new cabinet to start tackling the crisis even as poverty has soared and medicines and fuel have run out.
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