Lebanon Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday announced the resignation of his government after huge outrage over the tragic explosions at Beirut port on August 4. Diab’s resignation came as a result of the cabinet members resigning one by one.
The blasts devastated parts of Beirut and left more than 200 people dead. Irate protestors have, since, taken to the streets to protest over the government’s negligence that caused the explosion.
“I announce the resignation of the government,” Diab said at a press briefing as he portrayed himself as an external victim of corrupt political leadership.
He said his government had “gone to great lengths to lay out a road map to save the country” but the corruption was “bigger than the state”. “A very thick and thorny wall separates us from change; a wall fortified by a class that is resorting to all dirty methods in order to resist and preserve its gains”, he said.
Notably, Diab was appointed as the Prime Minister in January after months of deadlock in Lebanon.
President Michel Aoun has asked the government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed. Meanwhile, Beirut is under a two-week state of emergency and military rule.
On Monday the death toll from the explosion rose to 220 with 110 people still missing, Beirut governor Marwan Abboud told media.
More than 6,000 have been injured and nearly 300,000 people left homeless after the explosion, from a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, that damaged buildings up to a radius of several kilometers in Beirut.
A mushroom-like cloud of smoke was seen rising into the sky from the port area, which appeared to be an initial explosion. A second explosion took place within minutes shattering windows, knocking down doors, and balconies.
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