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Lebanon to demolish blast-hit silos despite victims' protest

Lebanon's main grain silo, seen here on December 20, 2021, was severely damaged in an August 4, 2020 cataclysmic port explosion
— Beirut (AFP)

Lebanon on Thursday ordered the demolition of Beirut's grain silos which are at risk of collapse following a devastating 2020 port explosion, prompting protests from relatives of blast victims who want the silos preserved.

"We tasked the Council for Development and Reconstruction with supervising the demolition process," Information Minister Ziad Makari said after a cabinet meeting, without specifying a time frame.

Makari said the government's decision was based on a report by Lebanon's Khatib and Alami Engineering Company, which warned that the silos in the port of the capital Beirut could collapse within months.

"Repairing them will cost a lot," Makari said.

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