Anger in Beirut after missed warnings over ‘floating bomb’

Released paper trail reveals ignored warnings over stash that has killed at least 135 people

• Visual guide: how explosion caused devastation
• Tell us: have you been affected by the explosion in Beirut?

Anger and dismay has been building in Beirut as officials admitted that a massive port explosion that killed at least 135 people, injured thousands and left many more homeless was foreseeable and had been the subject of repeated warnings.

With Lebanon’s capital still smouldering, an emerging paper trail linked the blast to a mammoth stash of ammonium nitrate that was once described as a “floating bomb” and housed at the port since 2014. As recently as six months ago, officials inspecting the consignment warned that if it was not moved it would “blow up all of Beirut”.

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