Beirut

[farouk]

@farouk,
They are saying this morning that the explanation was caused by tonnes of ammonium nitrate being stored in a warehouse at the port. It was taken off a ship in 2014 and placed in storage. It shouldn’t have been there, and someone will be held to account over why it was there and why it was not secured in safe storage. They believe that welding was taking place nearby.
Rita

@Rita Well, this in a sense will indeed be a relief for a lot of ppl, that it's not a resurgence of civil war conditions....

 

[Rita]

Okay, just got more details Farouk- apparently the nitrate cannot just ‘ blow up ‘ it takes a chain of events
. In the warehouse next to where the nitrate was were fireworks - somehow they were set off ( possibly by the welding ) This started the fire, the fireworks could be seen as igniting within the videos release just prior to the nitrate going up. It’s possible that the fireworks went into the nitrate cause a mini shock wave ,which in turn would have ignited all of the nitrate that was stored there.
I thought perhaps that these warehouse were all closed and that the nitrate wasn’t visible, but a photo released earlier shows that the nitrate Was clearly visible and the warehouse door completely open. I have to ask myself why was it being stored, what were they saving it for - considering it’s been there since 2014 !!!!

 

[Josho]

What a terrible explosion, I heard other countries around Lebanon even reported earth tremors from the explosion.

 

[farouk]

Okay, just got more details Farouk- apparently the nitrate cannot just ‘ blow up ‘ it takes a chain of events
. In the warehouse next to where the nitrate was were fireworks - somehow they were set off ( possibly by the welding ) This started the fire, the fireworks could be seen as igniting within the videos release just prior to the nitrate going up. It’s possible that the fireworks went into the nitrate cause a mini shock wave ,which in turn would have ignited all of the nitrate that was stored there.
I thought perhaps that these warehouse were all closed and that the nitrate wasn’t visible, but a photo released earlier shows that the nitrate Was clearly visible and the warehouse door completely open. I have to ask myself why was it being stored, what were they saving it for - considering it’s been there since 2014 !!!!

@Rita In a sense good that it was simply because of fireworks used for celebrations rather than because of explosives used in anger, so to speak...

 

[farouk]

What a terrible explosion, I heard other countries around Lebanon even reported earth tremors from the explosion.

@Josho I remember years ago an explosion in England (a huge gas container) which was so loud that it was heard in Holland.

 

[Rita]

@Josho I remember years ago an explosion in England (a huge gas container) which was so loud that it was heard in Holland.

I don’t remember that Farouk- do you know where so that I can try and jog my memory ?
Rita

 

[farouk]

I don’t remember that Farouk- do you know where so that I can try and jog my memory ?
Rita

@Rita I just looked this up: The Herts explosion that was heard in Holland and seen from space

 

[farouk]

PS: @Rita I don't quite remember hearing it myself but it was all in the news, I seem to remember; I was over there at the time.

 

[Rita]

Thanks Farouk
I don’t remember that at all - yet it wasn’t that long ago really.
It was a few months after 7/7 , bombing on the London Underground, which I do remember!
Guess our memories are selective at times xx
Rita

 

[farouk]

Thanks Farouk
I don’t remember that at all - yet it wasn’t that long ago really.
It was a few months after 7/7 , bombing on the London Underground, which I do remember!
Guess our memories are selective at times xx
Rita

@Rita I think that because the gas explosion didn't kill anyone - unlike the London bombings - it didn't stay in the media for nearly as long.

 

[farouk]

Those London bombings were especially a shock to a lot of ppl, because, whereas in cities like Beirut there has been more than a bit of a history of bombings (though maybe not so recently), in London - unlike, say Belfast years back - it was more rare.

 

[Rita]

Those London bombings were especially a shock to a lot of ppl, because, whereas in cities like Beirut there has been more than a bit of a history of bombings (though maybe not so recently), in London - unlike, say Belfast years back - it was more rare.

We use to get quite a lot of bombings Farouk, and not just in London - Obviously the enemy was a different one ( The IRA ) So, for me, they were part of my life.
Rita

 

[farouk]

We use to get quite a lot of bombings Farouk, and not just in London - Obviously the enemy was a different one ( The IRA ) So, for me, they were part of my life.
Rita

@Rita Depends on who is the latest official enemy, I guess....

 

[Prayer Warrior]

My prayers go out to the people affected by this terrible explosion!

I just heard on the news that over 100 people were killed and more than 4000 people injured.

 

[Yehren]

The report seems to indicate that it may be something to do with escalating tension between Israel and Hezbollah.

Doubtful. As in the Texas City Disaster, the explosion was from ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which, if stored in massive quantities can explode. Unless properly mixed with an accelerant, it's unreliable, even treacherous. Often, the same storage/handling procedures that always went well, would suddenly cause a catastrophic blast.

It's a very useful explosive, because it has a low brisiance, meaning it tends to "push" rather than shatter. The explosion is not a detonation. So it's used a lot in blasting rock cuts for highways. If you've ever noticed vertical grooves in such cuts, that's where holes packed with ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel were exploded. Instead of blowing hunks of rock everywhere, the explosion tends to just push the rock away in nice, manageable piles.

But huge quantities are super dangerous, unless carefully stored.
Texas City disaster - Wikipedia

A few years ago, a similar blast in West, Texas, flattened a facility and numerous nearby structures, killing a number of people, including firemen who were trying to put out the fire that eventually caused the explosion.

 

[farouk]

Wow, what devastation!

 

[farouk]

@Rita Having now looked at footage of the explosion - amazing - I stand corrected about my original assumption that it was probably something to do with political / communal strife in the region.

 

[farouk]

I haven't seen any recent updates but I reckon it will take a huge amount of upheaval for the city to get over it.

 

[Prayer Warrior]

I haven't seen any recent updates but I reckon it will take a huge amount of upheaval for the city to get over it.

Just heard an update on OAN. They’re saying that over 150 dead with thousands of injuries and some still missing. The U.S. is sending humanitarian aid. Looks like it was accidental.

 

[Yehren]

I haven't seen any recent updates but I reckon it will take a huge amount of upheaval for the city to get over it.

I doubt if any terrorist bomb ever did that much damage in Beruit.

Ammonium nitrate, BTW, was also the material used by right-wing terrorists Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols to blow up a federal building in Oklahoma city, killing about 170 people, including many children who were in a day care facility next to the truck that held the bomb.