Ceremony and march in Beirut to commemorate Aug. 4 explosion
A Mass will be held at 11:30 a.m. at Saint George Maronite Cathedral in downtown Beirut, celebrated by Patriarch Bechara Rai, in the presence of Beirut Archbishop Boulos Abdel Sater.
In the late afternoon, a public march will take place from two starting points: Martyrs' Square and the Beirut Fire Brigade barracks in Qarantina. The two processions will meet at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Emigrant Statue at the entrance to the port, for a commemorative stop during which a tribute will be paid to the victims.
The Beirut Port explosion claimed the lives of 235 people, injured more than 7,000 others and destroyed a significant part of the capital. Five years later, those responsible for the explosion — which involved huge amounts of ammonium nitrate improperly stored at the port — still have not been brought to justice. The latest development: former prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Oueidat, did not appear Monday at a scheduled interrogation session before Court of Justice Investigative Judge Tarek Bitar, who had summoned him as part of his investigation.
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