Beirut Port blast victims say five years later, justice feels a bit closer

On the third anniversary of the Beirut port explosion, protesters wave a bloodied Lebanese flag [Joseph Eid / AFP]

When 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020, it ripped through the city, killing more than 218 people. Among them was three-year-old Alexandra Naggear.

Five years later, the investigation into who is at fault for the blast has been delayed, and at times derailed, by political interference.