"During the period between August 14 and 22, 25 containers with hydrochloric acid were found, as well as 54 containers that contained other chemicals, the leakage of which could be catastrophic," the Lebanese army said in a Monday statement.
On 4 August, the Lebanese capital was rocked by an exceptionally powerful blast which sent shock waves miles away from its epicenter in the port of Beirut. Entire districts adjacent to the port area were destroyed.
The massive blast, caused by an improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate (confiscated by customs services in 2014) in the Beirut port, brought widespread destruction and left over 170 people killed and more than 40,000 others injured. Some recent media reports have put the death toll from the explosion at 220. More than 100 people remain missing.
The Lebanese government declared a state of emergency in the capital and resigned less than a week after the Beirut blast, following public anger that caused thousands of protesters to take to the streets, calling for Prime Minister Hassan Diab to step down.
