Beirut blast: Lebanese Justice Minister resigns

Lebanese Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm has submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Hassan Diab, MTV Lebanon broadcaster reported on Monday.

Information Minister Manal Abdel-Samad and Environment Minister Damianos Kattar have recently submitted their resignations in the wake of the deadly blast in Beirut and subsequent protests.

Protests engulfed Beirut this past weekend in the backdrop of the deadly blast that rocked the city's port on August 4. The explosion killed 158 people and left more than 6,000 others injured, while its shock waves have caused damage, estimated at one billion USD to at least half of the city's infrastructure.

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According to the Lebanese government, the blast was caused by some 2,750 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which was confiscated by the port authorities back in 2014 and stored in violation of safety protocols for years since.

The demonstrators have demanded that the government should resign. The protests on Saturday and Sunday grew into clashes where more than 700 people sustained injuries.

(ANI/Sputnik)

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