BEIRUT, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The northern part of the silos in Beirut port in the Lebanese capital collapsed entirely on Tuesday early morning, causing a massive cloud of dust.
Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin urged the residents living near the port to wear masks as the dust spread, the National News Agency reported.
The silos, heavily damaged by the August 2020 explosions had been falling gradually over the past few weeks after a fire smoldered for weeks because of the fermenting of 800 tonnes of grains stored inside.
The southern half of the silos remains standing, and the government plans to study how it can stabilize them.
Two big explosions rocked the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, killing more than 200 people, wounding over 6,000 others and destroying a big part of the city.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service