Thousands gather to mark first anniversary of the deadly Beirut blast

Thousands of Lebanese gathered to mark the first anniversary of the deadly blast in Beirut which killed at least 214 people. Most had come to offer prayers and commemorate the loss of loved ones. Some protesters threw stones at security officials near the parliament.

The explosion was caused when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated after a fire broke out in a storage silo. Many Lebanese voiced their anger at the lack of accountability on the part of senior officials who reportedly knew about the hazardous storage conditions.

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