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Fire shows no sign of slowing at #beirutport Fmr minister @ZiyadBaroud notes absence of fire-fighting helicopters donated by expats yrs ago but now sold by the government due to inability to pay for maintence. People find they can’t live here anymore, point of no return, he adds
Fire seems to be spreading to warehouse where unknown goods stored, unclear if there are flammable items improperly stored together as we saw with Hangar 12 - source of Aug 4th explosion, reports @RaneemBouKhzam
Member of parliament Nazih Najem tells @MTVLebanonNews rubber tires burning, also @Loreal cosmetics, a warehouse worth $5 million and another warehouse unclear value. “All these problems happen to Beirut,” he bemoans, anchor @monasaliba “We don’t wish it on any part of Lebanon”
Rubber fumes are a cancerous public health disaster expert tells @MTVLebanonNews, warns people stay 5km away, reporter @berrynawal says people have no place to go-“We wish some authority figure would tell people what to do. We can only say God bless them &the emergency workers”
Transport minister @michelinajjar claims blaze under control and says fire caused by sparks that caught flammable material on fire during maintenance work. News anchor for @nbntweets - channel tied to ruling party Amal - asks no further questions.
As blaze smolders, other channels tied to govt leaders already moving on to other news, Hezbollah’s @Almanar_TV covers the “accomplishments” of its ministers while FPM’s @OTVLebanon hosts its standby pundits confidently laying blame at other parties and geopolitical factors.
. @Almanar_TV reporter gets closest to the blaze, reveals tires and washing machines in the hanger- repeats script several times: fire under control, army/firefighters cooperating, no injuries. Zero questions about accountability, who is responsible and how could this happen.
. @Almanar_TV literally speechless, no commentary for long stretches. Other times simply repeating simple details, no basic questions about responsibility and glaring failure
Only sound that can be heard on @Almanar_TV is news anchor ruffling through papers, clearly uncomfortable with so much dead air time. #beirut
Contrast this silence to @ALJADEEDNEWS reporters/anchors repeatedly asking questions: who will be held responsible this time, if security forces were in charge, how was a work crew allowed inside? “A mosquito is not let into the port without having ID checked,” says @ramezelkadi
I guess this is how Lebanese authorities deal with disasters, says Al Jadeed anchor Dalia Ahmad sarcastically. Reporter @ramezelkadi adds: “The way they deal with it so far is trying to release customs head Badri Daher from jail to customs authorities who don’t have a prison”
. @ramezelkadi on air: “It’s as if the minister of transport is a pundit or a TV viewer to say this is caused by “sparks” and now he wants an investigation -wow this is a historic statement...Really the same reason as the last explosion? People are not buying these words anymore”
News anchor Daila Ahmad: “People say journalists have to choose our words carefully. We can’t choose our words anymore, we have to relay the feeling of the people: There is no country. We don’t have a country anymore. What a great shame it is.” @ALJADEEDNEWS #Beirut #مرفأ_بيروت
After breaking news, evening bulletin begins with opening editorial and picture of transport minister. Isn’t it time to resign, news anchor Ahmad asks. Also mocks defense council meeting, which reporter @ramezelkadi compared earlier to (uselsss) Arab League meetings
Hazardous materials were scattered haphazardly throughout the port ahead of the latest fire, including a container full of matches, as well as other acids stored near tires, according to @ALJADEEDNEWS
