貝魯特的爆炸看起來像是意外

貝魯特的爆炸看起來像是意外

When Westerners think of Beirut, they might remember: a 15-year civil war that ended in 1990; a war with Israel and sporadic airstrikes; an attack 15 years ago on the prime minister's convoy.

當(dāng)西方人想到貝魯特時，他們可能會記得：一場在1990年結(jié)束的長達15年的內(nèi)戰(zhàn);一場與以色列的戰(zhàn)爭和零星的空襲;15年前對總理車隊的襲擊。

So it may seem hard to believe that the biggest blast of them all — the one at the Beirut port on Tuesday, which killed some 150 people, wounded thousands and caused destruction across half the city — was an accident, possibly the outcome of neglect on a massive scale.

因此，似乎很難相信最大的一次爆炸是周二發(fā)生在貝魯特港口的爆炸，造成大約150人死亡，數(shù)千人受傷，半個城市遭到破壞，這是一次意外，可能是大規(guī)模疏忽造成的結(jié)果。

But that's what signs point to now. Officials have launched an investigation looking at the port warehouse that had held 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used for fertilizer and as an ingredient in bombs. It has fueled many explosions around the world — both accidental and intentional.

官員們對港口倉庫進行了調(diào)查，該倉庫存放著2750噸硝酸銨。硝酸銨是一種用于化肥和炸彈成分的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。它在世界各地引發(fā)了許多爆炸——有意外的，也有故意的。

Lebanese officials say there has been concern about this volatile cargo for years, something Prime Minister Hassan Diab noted publicly in the first hours after the blast.

黎巴嫩官員說，多年來，人們一直對這些易爆的貨物感到擔(dān)憂。黎巴嫩總理迪亞布在爆炸發(fā)生后的最初幾個小時就公開指出了這一點。

Here are some of the factors that shed light on this week's catastrophe.

以下是一些可以解釋本周災(zāi)難的因素。

Explosive chemicals languish at the port

爆炸性化學(xué)品在港口閑置

In 2013, a ship filled with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stopped at the Lebanese port. It had a Russian crew, and reports say it was bound for Mozambique.

2013年，一艘滿載2750噸硝酸銨的貨船停靠在黎巴嫩港口。船上有一名俄羅斯船員，有報道稱這艘船是開往莫桑比克的。

The ship's former captain told Reuters this week that he had been instructed to stop in Beirut to pick up more cargo, but there was a legal dispute over port fees and the shipping company was in debt. Lawyers representing some of the crew said in 2015 that the ship had stopped at the Beirut port with "technical problems."

這艘船的前船長本周對路透社表示，他奉命在貝魯特停留，以便接更多的貨物，但由于港口費用存在法律糾紛，該船公司也負債累累。代表部分船員的律師在2015年表示，這艘船因“技術(shù)問題”停在貝魯特港口。

The ammonium nitrate, a fairly common cargo on the oceans, was impounded and unloaded; the crew had to stay on board for nearly a year and was then released.

硝酸銨，一種在海洋上很常見的貨物，被扣押并卸下;船員們不得不在船上呆了將近一年，然后才被釋放。

A city of neglect and shortages

一個被忽視和短缺的城市

In 2015, trash choked Lebanon's streets amid corruption and infighting over solid waste contracts. The garbage crisis spawned a protest movement.

2015年，由于腐敗和固廢合同的內(nèi)訌，垃圾充斥著黎巴嫩的街道。垃圾危機催生了一場抗議運動。

More crises would come. High government debt and mismanagement caused aneconomic collapse. There's hyperinflation. Unemployment is high. The country's once-comfortable middle class is slipping into poverty. People have trouble buying bread and are selling their possessions.

更多的危機將會到來。政府的高債務(wù)和管理不善導(dǎo)致了經(jīng)濟崩潰。有惡性通貨膨脹。失業(yè)率很高。這個國家曾經(jīng)舒適的中產(chǎn)階級正在陷入貧困。人們很難買面包,而且正在出售他們的財產(chǎn)。