Groups Ask UN to Investigate Beirut’s Massive 2020 Blast

A picture shows the damaged grain silos at the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on August 2, 2022, following a partial collapse due to an ongoing fire since the beginning of the month. (AFP)

Lebanese and international organizations Wednesday called on the UN Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate the Beirut port blast two years ago, as a domestic probe continues to stall.

The call by groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International came as the Lebanese investigation has been stalled since December following legal challenges by charged and accused officials against the judge leading the investigation. The Aug. 4, 2020 blast killed nearly 220 people, injured over 6,000 and caused widespread damage in Beirut.