By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
Six years after the devastating Beirut port explosion that killed more than 220 people and injured thousands, families of the victims have renewed calls for justice, insisting that those responsible for the tragedy must be held accountable.
Relatives gathered at the Beirut port on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the August 4, 2020 disaster, one of the deadliest non-nuclear explosions in modern history, lamenting the slow pace of investigations and the absence of prosecutions.
For many families, the pain remains as raw as it was on the day the blast tore through the Lebanese capital.
Hiyam al-Bikai, who lost her son, Ahmad, in the explosion, said justice has remained elusive despite years of inquiries.
“Until now, we haven’t gotten justice. There has been no accountability and nobody has been arrested,” she said.
The explosion, triggered by tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate at the port, injured more than 6,500 people and destroyed large sections of Beirut, leaving thousands homeless and causing widespread economic damage.
Families of the victims are demanding the release of the full indictment, saying they deserve to know who imported the chemicals, who authorised their storage and who allowed the dangerous cargo to remain at the port for years.
As Lebanon commemorates the sixth anniversary of the catastrophe, grieving families say their fight for truth and accountability is far from over.
