Senegal port seeks removal of 2,700 tonnes of chemical that caused Beirut blast

FILE PHOTO: A damaged tire is seen beside transport trucks as they wait in a line to be loaded with goods destined for neighboring Mali at the port in Dakar, Senegal April 30, 2020. Picture taken April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

DAKAR (Reuters) - The port of Senegal's capital Dakar on Thursday said it had requested the removal of around 2,700 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored in its complex - the same volume of the chemical that caused Beirut's devastating port blast this month.

The unidentified owner of the stockpile has found a warehouse to store the industrial chemical outside the city, according to the general directorate of the port, which sits next to Dakar's densely populated downtown.