Beirut fire: Red Cross humanitarian operation at risk with food aid stored near port

Following a massive fire at the Beirut post on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said their humanitarian efforts were at risk of being disrupted. In little over a month since the Beirut blast, the Lebanese capital witnessed a second catastrophe on September 10 as a massive fire broke out in its port area. A large column of black smoke mushroomed over again Beruit sky a month after the deadly explosion that killed nearly 200 people.

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Stocks of humanitarian aid at-risk

Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC Regional Director for Near and the Middle East, said in a tweet that the Red Cross uses the port to store ‘stocks thousands food parcels and 0.5 million litres of oil’ and even though the total extent and damage of the fire is not yet known it could seriously hamper the group’s humanitarian efforts in the area.

As per the Lebanese Army, the fire originated at the port’s duty-free wing which contained tires, oil and other flammable materials. Authorities have closed down major roads leading to the port and have since begun re-routing traffic.

Beirut residents' panic was compounded by the fear that there may be other harmful chemicals near the vicinity of the fire that could cause yet another devasting explosion. Earlier during salvage operations, French and Italian chemical experts stated locating 120 containers with harmful chemicals; the Lebanese army later stated that the containers had been moved away from the port and stored safely.

Meanwhile,  Lebanese President Michel Aoun is reported to have said that the fire could have been the result of technical error, negligence or even "sabotage". The Lebanese leader also added that the origin and cause of the fire must be discovered as soon as possible and those responsible, be it accident or sabotage, must be held accountable. 

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