16 port employees arrested over Beirut explosions: Lebanese judge

Smoke rises from an explosion site at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020.(Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

A total of 16 employees at Port of Beirut have been detained over deadly explosions that rocked the port on Tuesday, Government Commissioner to the Military Tribunal Judge Fadi Akiki announced on Thursday evening.

Akiki said that more than 18 people have been questioned so far, including port and customs officials as well as people in charge of maintenance at the hangar where explosive materials have been stored for years, the National News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Beirut's First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat issued a decision prohibiting the travel of seven port officials.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Tuesday evening, killing at least 137 people and injuring nearly 5,000 others, while causing massive damages in the city.