Lebanon’s entire cabinet has resigned over the deadly incident of Beirut port explosion, said the health minister. Amid public fury, many ministers had intended to step down and several others quit the party. The minister, Hamad Hassan, spoke with reporters at the end of a Cabinet meeting on Monday. People in Lebanon have taken to the streets in a massive demonstration against the government and security forces.
“The whole government resigned,” Hamad said. He added that Prime Minister Hassan Diab will head to the presidential palace to “hand over the resignation in the name of all the ministers.”
Lebanon Prime Minister Resigns-Watch
The blast in Beirut on August 4 has completely burned down the capital’s port while large parts of the city stand devastated at the massive loss of life and property. This had led to a united outcry from the public over the ill ruling of the higher class in government. Over the weekend, protests were planned outside the government headquarters to coincide with the Cabinet meeting. Large demonstrations took place that saw clashes with security forces firing tear gas at protesters.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a fire that ignited a 2,750-ton stockpile of explosive ammonium nitrate. The material had been stored at the port since 2013 with few safeguards despite several warnings of the danger. People in Lebanon have put the sole blame on the incident on the government’s negligence.
Lebanon blast loss
The blast killed at least 160 people and wounded about 6,000, in addition to destroying the country’s main port and damaging large parts of the capital.
Losses from the blast are estimated to be between USD 10 billion to USD 15 billion, and nearly 300,000 people were left homeless in the immediate aftermath. Meanwhile, Hassan Diab’s Cabinet now assumes the caretaker role until a new government is formed.
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