On 4 August, a massive blast devastated Beirut

A huge store of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse is thought to have been the cause of the explosion

But who knew about the dangerous cargo and who is to blame for the destruction it unleashed?

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http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

More than 200 people dead, thousands injured, the heart of a city destroyed

And at the centre of it a warehouse full of nearly 3,000 tonnes of an explosive chemical ammonium nitrate

Where did it come from?

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

The ammonium nitrate arrived in Beirut on the cargo ship, MV Rhosus, en route to deliver its explosive cargo to Mozambique

The ship was in poor shape - in July 2013 inspectors had found 14 separate deficiencies, from corroded decks to poor fire safety

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

The Rhosus’ captain says they made a stop in Beirut to pick up cargo

On 4 February 2014, it was seized by the Lebanese authorities for $100,000 of unpaid bills

Many of the crew were unable to leave the ship, leaving them stranded onboard in the port

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

At the time the trade website FleetMon described the Rhosus as “a floating bomb”

They said “port authorities don’t want to be left with an abandoned vessel... loaded with dangerous cargo”

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

The crew were allowed to leave Beirut in September 2014
At some point - it’s not clear when - the ship’s dangerous cargo was moved to a warehouse in the docks

Abandoned by its owner and its crew, and taking on water, the Rhosus eventually sank

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

Between 2014 and 2017 customs officials sent five letters to a Judge of Urgent Matters asking for permission to re-export or sell the ammonium nitrate

The letters show that they were aware of the material in store, and knew that it was dangerous

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

However Riyad Qobaissi, an investigative journalist, says that the letters did not follow the right procedures

The judge had given permission for the cargo to be offloaded but that it had to be stored in an appropriate, safe place, not in the port

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

Qobassi says the judge had delegated responsibility to the ministry who had delegated to customs

He says they had the authority to sell the ammonium nitrate, or that they could have destroyed it but: “All they did was send those letters”

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

The ammonium nitrate was now on the docks, but it took something to detonate it

We don’t yet know what caused the fire but fireworks were stored close by and some have suggested welding work on the day of the explosion could have started the fire

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

In recent history Lebanon has suffered financial crises, assassinations, Covid & now this explosion

Lebanese people want someone held to account

But with sectarian interests protecting officials who will pay for the failures that led to this tragedy?

http://bbc.in/31HuVqE 

Read more about the deadly explosion, and how almost 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate ended up in a portside warehouse: http://bbc.in/31HuVqE