贝鲁特的爆炸看起来像是意外

贝鲁特的爆炸看起来像是意外

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.

当西方人想到贝鲁特时，他们可能会记得：一场在1990年结束的长达15年的内战;一场与以色列的战争和零星的空袭;15年前对总理车队的袭击。

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，似乎很难相信最大的一次爆炸是周二发生在贝鲁特港口的爆炸，造成大约150人死亡，数千人受伤，半个城市遭到破坏，这是一次意外，可能是大规模疏忽造成的结果。

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.

官员们对港口仓库进行了调查，该仓库存放着2750吨硝酸铵。硝酸铵是一种用于化肥和炸弹成分的化学物质。它在世界各地引发了许多爆炸——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.

黎巴嫩官员说，多年来，人们一直对这些易爆的货物感到担忧。黎巴嫩总理迪亚布在爆炸发生后的最初几个小时就公开指出了这一点。

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

以下是一些可以解释本周灾难的因素。

Explosive chemicals languish at the port

爆炸性化学品在港口闲置

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，一艘满载2750吨硝酸铵的货船停靠在黎巴嫩港口。船上有一名俄罗斯船员，有报道称这艘船是开往莫桑比克的。

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."

这艘船的前船长本周对路透社表示，他奉命在贝鲁特停留，以便接更多的货物，但由于港口费用存在法律纠纷，该船公司也负债累累。代表部分船员的律师在2015年表示，这艘船因“技术问题”停在贝鲁特港口。

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.

硝酸铵，一种在海洋上很常见的货物，被扣押并卸下;船员们不得不在船上呆了将近一年，然后才被释放。

A city of neglect and shortages

一个被忽视和短缺的城市

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

2015年，由于腐败和固废合同的内讧，垃圾充斥着黎巴嫩的街道。垃圾危机催生了一场抗议运动。

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.

更多的危机将会到来。政府的高债务和管理不善导致了经济崩溃。有恶性通货膨胀。失业率很高。这个国家曾经舒适的中产阶级正在陷入贫困。人们很难买面包,而且正在出售他们的财产。