2020 Beirut Explosions

[deaddirty]

There has been a major explosion in Beirut, seemingly caused by a fie in a fireworks factory (that's never good). At least 10 deaths reported so far.

Lebanon: at least 78 killed as huge explosion rocks Beirut

Thousands injured in blast, blamed on store of ammonium nitrate, which occurred in city’s port area

www.theguardian.com

https://youtu.be/vAI_0BZLAwQ

 

[Meatpie]

Thanks DD. Lebanon's National News Agency says the blast happened at an ammunitions depot.

 

[deaddirty]

That's different from the story I heard earlier, but I guess it fits better with what looks like an almost nuclear shockball and -wave. And I guess it makes hostile action (Is...?) more likely, though so far as I know that is just speculation at this stage.

 

[Frazeeme]

Great work in posting! You beat the US media by at least 30 minutes!

 

[deaddirty]

Thanks.
Latest info I've seen seems to confirm that the initial explosion and fire involved fireworks, and that set off 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate which had been stored there since 2014. Ammonium nitrate is mainly used as a fertiliser but also mixed with a fuel as an explosive. On its own it is normally stable, but it can explode spontaneously if heated - it has caused massive explosions at Texas City (US), and more recently in China.
And the Beirut explosion was felt on Cyprus!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/news/beirut-blast-how-does-ammonium-nitrate-create-such-devastating-explosions/ar-BB17B7GB?ocid=msedgdhp

 

[Meatpie]

Thank you DD.

 

[phyzzique]

.........looks like an almost nuclear shockball and -wave.

Seismologists say it was 1/5 as powerful as the Hiroshima blast. Moral of the story: don't store thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the storeroom

 

[Meatpie]

Beirut blast captured during bride's photoshoot

 

[phyzzique]

Après moi le déluge

Firemen trying to open up the storeroom seconds before the blast

 

[Meatpie]

Video from inside a car passing near the port at the time of the explosion.

 

[Meatpie]

Cyclist very near the blast.

 

[deaddirty]

Thanks Meatpie. Here's what seems to be some fairly definitive info on how the ammonium nitrate came to be there, so still some questions about how the fire started.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/07/beirut-explosion-former-port-worker-says-fireworks-stored-in-hangar
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/06/beirut-blast-timeline-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-explosion-lebanon

 

[Meatpie]

Video shows new angle of the massive shockwave

 

[deaddirty]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/nasa-maps-beirut-explosion-damage-from-space-with-satellites/ar-BB17RVtF?ocid=msedgdhp

Apparently the grain silos shielded West Beirut from the worst of the blast. And looks from this as if it may have reflected it back - the damage seems to go much further east at right angles to the silos than in any other direction.