Massive explosion a Beirut port

[UglyMowgli]

Apparently silo grains went off. A lot of damage and injuries


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzIuaoc-UYs

[Gerald]

I read a bit about it..and in the usual order it came up racket attack etc.etc speculation in other words. But clearly a very powerful explosion..can also perhaps include an insurance case.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seDjIuDFERk

[mapuc]

Here they have said it could have been the fireworks warehouse which is placed at the harbour.

Edit
It was, according to Lebanese authorities' confiscated highly explosive materials
End edit

Markus

[Onkel Neal]

Wow, crazy!

https://www.foxnews.com/world/explosion-lebanon-capital-beirut

The 2nd video is extraordinary, before the camera pulls away it looks like a shock wave blowing everything straight up. It's the video captioned "Stunning video shows explosions just minutes ago at Beirut port".

Video taken by residents showed a fire raging at the port, sending up a giant column of smoke, illuminated by flashes of what appear to be fireworks. Local TV stations reported that a fireworks warehouse was involved.

The fire then appeared to catch at a nearby building, triggering a more massive explosion, sending up a mushroom cloud and a shock wave.

Yeah, there a lot of lights and sparkles in the base of the cloud before the explosion.

[mapuc]

Don't want to be the one who is spoiling a good thread

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2687120#post2687120

Markus

[Subnuts]

You can actually see the moisture in the air being turned to steam by the heat of the fireball. :o

[Gerald]

Wow, crazy!

https://www.foxnews.com/world/explosion-lebanon-capital-beirut

The 2nd video is extraordinary, before the camera pulls away it looks like a shock wave blowing everything straight up. It's the video captioned "Stunning video shows explosions just minutes ago at Beirut port".



Yeah, there a lot of lights and sparkles in the base of the cloud before the explosion.
A new explosion in the same area ....:hmmm:

[tmccarthy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAI_0BZLAwQ

[Buddahaid]

Currently believed to be 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate improperly stored in a warehouse offloaded six years ago from an impounded ship. Who started the fire that found the warehouse?

[Gerald]

Currently believed to be 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate improperly stored in a warehouse offloaded six years ago from an impounded ship. Who started the fire that found the warehouse? No kidding? 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate...this is huge. :o

[Buddahaid]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53659282

[Gerald]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53659282 Thank you! As you say ... how could this happen, someone has obviously had an intent.

[Jimbuna]

Rescuers are searching for survivors after a huge explosion in Beirut's port area on Tuesday.

At least 100 people are known to have died in the blast, which injured thousands more.

It was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse, Lebanon's president says.

The port appears to have been entirely destroyed, while buildings across the city sustained damage.

Up to 300,000 people have been left homeless, Beirut's governor says.

Three days of mourning have been declared in the country, already suffering from an economic crisis and the pandemic.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-53664184

[skidman]

It's so sad seeing this city and this country clobbered once again. My thoughts are with those, who lost their families, friends and loved ones.

[Jimbuna]

A number of Beirut port officials are being placed under house arrest pending an investigation into Tuesday's huge explosion, Lebanon's government says.

The blast killed at least 135 people and injured more than 4,000 others. A two-week state of emergency has begun.

President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Customs chief Badri Daher said his agency called for the chemical to be removed, but "this did not happen".

"We leave it to the experts to determine the reasons," he said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53670839

[Skybird]

Thank you! As you say ... how could this happen, someone has obviously had an intent.
Not necessarily, ammonium nitrate storage sites or factories sometimes blow up here and there again and again, due to unsafe security rules, accidents. A couple fo years ago in China. Two or threee times in Africa in the past 20 years. 1921 in a factory in Germany, history books say that back then windows up to 15 km away bursted. Ir surely is a big Booom.



There was an earlier fire in a nearby place that stored or produced fireworks. From there the fire may have ingited the A.N. , which in itself is not so easily to ignite, they say.



If there was intention, then the intention to not store it away safely, but leaving it there for so long time. Question also may be why such an ammount was stored. Was it really only agricultural need? It gets rumoured that maybe "religious" groups held the ownership rights and kept it for times of war, to produce explosives. If that is true I would not even rule out that the Mossad may be behind this. But that is a very thin theory only, i currently give it no reasonable credit. For the time beign I go with the explanation of a fire jumping over to the storage site and then blowing it up, accidentally.



But in this part of the world you have to expect everything, and nothing is as it seems.

[Skybird]

German media report that Hezbollah maintained storage sites with huge quantities of cooling opack sin Germany that contained signficant ammounts of ammonoum nitarte. That was in the years 2012 to 2016, and after the intelliogence service foundign out about it this discovery became the fudnament of why later Hezbollah was banned frim being active in business or presence in Germany.

A link between the warehouse in the harbour, and Hezbollah, appears likely currently, even more so since the Lebanese custoims office demanded the removal of the stockjpiles already loner time agao, and nothign hapopened. Hezbollah is very influential in Lebanese politics.

[Randomizer]

Here's an analysis piece from a pretty reliable analyst:

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2020/08/04/what-just-blew-up-in-beirut/

Early days yet and offered with the usual caveats:

High-order detonation of ~2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in bags in a dockside ware house probably equalled ~240 tonnes of TNT

Numerous, smaller pre-detonation explosions caught on film.

3.5-3.7 shock on the Richter Scale

Shock wave rattled windows in Cyprus

Large crater in the harbour now visible at scene of detonation.

Beirut customs officials had been trying to make the seized chemicals go away for several years. Pre-detonation photos of the warehouse show pretty sloppy storage and handling.

-C

[Mr Quatro]

I don't think Hezbollah did it, but they will get the blame due to being in charge of why that much ammonium nitrate was stored in bags in a dockside ware house (2,700 tons)

Everyone knows it has explosive properties, but it was being denied export to it's orginal country and they had no plans what to do with it.

I was busy doing something else while it was on MSNBC so I only got a little shock, but I went back with my DVR HDD and turned the sound off to the reporter and wow ... what a difference it was to watch without comment. :yep:

[tmccarthy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqeSv6aLXsk

[tmccarthy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2r2FAWxJmM

[Subnuts]

I know that, disregarding conspiracy cranks, this wasn't a nuclear explosion, but Alex Wellerstein's NUKEMAP site can give you a good idea of the effects of a 3 kiloton explosion in that location would be:

https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/?&kt=3&lat=33.9015439&lng=35.5189705&airburst=0&hob_ft=0&crater=1&casualties=1&fallout_wind=7&fallout_angle=200&psi=200,20,5,1,2,12&rem=&therm=&cloud=1&zm=14

[Jimbuna]

Customs chief Badri Daher said his agency called for the chemical to be removed, but "this did not happen".

I think the above may well have put himself in harms way.

[Platapus]

AN, if improperly stored can crystallize which can make what as normally a relatively insensitive explosive into a more sensitive explosive.

[Skybird]

A German pyro technician calculated the detonation on basis of what is known about the quanitity of AN that was stored there, and concluded the detonation was in the range of one tenth of the Hiroshima bomb.


Platapus, AN is a crystalized sand/powder, this is the normal aggregate condition of this substance in which it gets stored, traded, transported: mostly not in barrels, but sacks. Its a salt that you get when mixing ammonia and nitric acid.


The substance is usually quite uncritical and insensitive to heat and pressure, just when explosive shock compresses it in extremely short time, or lasting, ongoing high temperatures affect it, it turns critical. Quoted by media reports.

[vienna]

There was an expert interviewed on the DW-The Day US PBS News program on Wednesday who recounted and listed a very surprising number of large AN explosions over the last several decades; the number surprised me, so I looked up a link:


Ammonium nitrate disaster -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate_disaster


The US had its own whopping AN disaster in 1947 when a ship loaded with 2300 tons of AN blew up killing 581 persons:


Fertilizer explosion kills 581 in Texas --

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fertilizer-explosion-kills-581-in-texas


It seems being less than diligent about AN handling is not confined solely to the Lebanese; as recently as 2009 and 2013, Texas has had two more AN disasters, one a huge fire and the other a massive explosion...





<O>

[Mr Quatro]

From a friend that knows more than I do :yep:

The explosive yield of the 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate in the Beirut port explosion is estimated to have been the equivalent of 200-500 tons of TNT. For comparison, the MOAB conventional bomb in our arsenal today yields about 11 tons of TNT. Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima yielded about 15,000 tons of TNT; Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki yielded about 20,000 tons of TNT.

Each of the two nuclear weapons dropped were 30 to 100 times the TNT equivalent yield of the Beirut explosion.

[UglyMowgli]

A UNIFIL from Bengladesh ship (BNS Bijoy is a Castle-class guided missile corvette) was badly damaged and 19 sailors were wounded



https://navalnews.net/bangladesh-navys-bns-bijoy-corvette-was-damaged-in-beirut-explosion/






https://i1.wp.com/navalnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-05-at-01.35.14.jpeg?resize=485%2C1024&ssl=1


On this website, you can see on Cruise ship before and after (she sank and 2 sailors are reported dead)



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/06/beirut-explosion-before-and-after-satellite-images



Video of the Ocean Queen

https://twitter.com/cedar_news/status/1290963829401292801?s=20

[Mr Quatro]

I couldn't understand what that big building left standing was at first and now it has been reported to be a grain silo :o

[Aktungbby]

Timothy McVeigh's ammonium nitrate j-shaped charge (truck bomb in 50 gallon drums with fuel oil)was approx. 8000 lbs by comparison and caused over $300 million in damages in the Oklahoma City Federal bombing...Recalling the photo of the destroyed Murrah Bldg, 2750 tons by comparison is simply off
my 'go visual' capacity. Beirut Port officials are currently under house arrest while the Lebanese officials point fingers...apparently they had warned repeatedly of the safety conditions. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosions are'nt that uncommon. Worth
noting: no MiddleEast terrorist group (Hozballah etc.) is claiming credit for this freebie Big Bang...yet?:hmmm: https://www.washingtonpost.com/resizer/jiVtIVNbANN1oFByxp0SH3Zv6Pw=/1800x0/filters:quality(100)/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost/public/OEDDGUWWUQI6VJ4IFTUGZ2ARFE.jpg?imwidth=1800
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/2020/08/04/photos-show-aftermath-beirut-blasts/ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/2020/08/04/photos-show-aftermath-beirut-blasts/)

[Jimbuna]

It is now being reported the population are becoming increasingly angry at the government and the army have been called in to take control of the area.

[mapuc]

I'm not 100 % sure of the IDF's ROE.

I doubt very, very much that they should be behind it.

No it hasn't their signatur.

A story-seems to get it's own life on the Internet-Claiming Israel was behind.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Rescue workers in Lebanon are searching for dozens of people missing after Tuesday's deadly blast.

Anti-government protesters clashed with security forces on Thursday night.

Many in Lebanon blame government negligence for the explosion.

Beirut's hospitals are strained by bed and equipment shortages given the high number of people hurt.

The UN is releasing emergency supplies, as it warns of a humanitarian crisis.

The blast killed at least 149 people, injured about 5,000 others, and left about 300,000 homeless.

[Jimbuna]

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has said he will travel to Beirut on Saturday “to convey Europe’s solidarity with the people in Lebanon”.

He said he would meet President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Hassan Diab, and the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-53690582

The EU are going to visit so everything will be alright now :doh:

[Gerald]

The EU are going to visit so everything will be alright now :doh: Lol Glad you are out of it!!

[Reece]

The EU are going to visit so everything will be alright now :doh:
:har: Love your sarcasm Jim! :yep: Oh wait, you were serious??:D

[Catfish]

Some european countries have immediately sent help, the EU as an organisation has been sending more than 100 specialised firefighters and equipment to Lebanon to provide help in Beirut, it has also activated its civil protection system for further help; now the EU's president will talk with the people in charge about further help, personally.What a bad organisation, doomed to fail, they will take away our liberty, BLAH.

Good bye and thanks for the fish, Bojo.

[Jimbuna]

:har: Love your sarcasm Jim! :yep: Oh wait, you were serious??:D

Some european countries have immediately sent help, the EU as an organisation has been sending more than 100 specialised firefighters and equipment to Lebanon to provide help in Beirut, it has also activated its civil protection system for further help; now the EU's president will talk with the people in charge about further help, personally.What a bad organisation, doomed to fail, they will take away our liberty, BLAH.

Good bye and thanks for the fish, Bojo.

I doubt they'll be able to agree on which plane seat each of them should have.

[Catfish]

I doubt they'll be able to agree on which plane seat each of them should have.
Maybe if Bojo and Cummings wanted to board without a mask ... but then i guess decisions in the EU and unity will be reached faster after september '20. anyway. It is a bit rich to lecture the EU about unity while looking at Johnson and Cummings, and unity in the UK.
What you posted is like reading this:
" ... five medics will travel to Lebanon to determine the urgent needs in the Beirut health system and look at how the UK can support ..." (https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/uk-medics-fly-beirut-following-deadly-blast)
and then writing "Oh look England will save Beirut alone, with three medics".
Never miss an opportunity to denigrate others, even if they are doing something positive?

[Skybird]

The giovenrment of Lebanon is such a corrupted bunch of nepotistic gangster that NOBODY should talk to them, not even the EU. The govenrment, and Hezbollah are not adressing partners, but part of the problemn that led to this.

Its the young people in the streets that currently do what can be done, not the gangster of govenrment and Hezbollah. And the young generation is that we should adress and contact and reach out to, not the officials and leaders. Lebanon is a failed state since long - due to those politicans and power-holding religious gangsters there. Thats why there is so much rage now amongst the civilian population.

A total breakdown of the established elites and a destruction of Hezbollah would not only be the best thign that could happen to Lebanoen - its also the precondition for any bettering. No, Michel should not talk to them. Not at all. But maybe we shoukld send the civilian population weapons, so that they can sweep Hezbollah out, and make short process with whats left of the power hierarchy in Lebanese politics then. I could imagine the Israelis would very silently assist. The political system there needs to be destroyed and completgely replaced, else Lebanon will never have a chance. Their politicians and Hezbollah are the monsters that strangle this country since decades.

BTW, the harbour was Hezbollah grpoudn and under ciontrol of Hezbollah, everybody knew that, locals and isndiers report. Guess why they stored that AN there in such quantities. Guess hard. The basterd at the top of Hezbollah today gave a TV interview, his murderous lying and innocent posing is outrageous.

And that is the wicked breed the EU pays money too. No, Michel Barniert shouzld not go there, and shouzdl not talk to them at all. Barnier has no busienss there, and is only a burden for the local police that already has itsd hands full. Its desaster tourism, desaster posing: look, the friendly EU is here. The EU that does not mind to pay Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Palestinian terror in Gaza and West Bank.

No, the Eu should n ot show up in Lebanon. Not Barnier or anyone else. Our relief organisations should competely bypass Lebanons polticians and directly engage with the locals on the street. Anmd we should nto send more thna what egts immedoately consumed, so that it does not end up in the secret bunkers of Hezbollah, and if they do not let it in if we do not bribe them and give them a tribute, we should not care for wanting to engage there at all.

[mapuc]

^your comment made me remember what they said in the news yesterday.

Hezbollah have become so powerful, that you could say they are a state in the state and they have two minister in the government.

Then something with -
Almost impossible to divide these two.
Something about the elected government and Hezbollah.

Markus

[Skybird]

Hezbollah have become so powerful, that you could say they are a state in the state
That is true, and is not new. Last time Israel attacked around a decade ago, Lebanon already was Hezbollistan.Nothing goes without them, nthing goes against them. They are this states bone and blood cancer. Them - and the political nepotism and corruption.

[Jimbuna]

Maybe if Bojo and Cummings wanted to board without a mask ... but then i guess decisions in the EU and unity will be reached faster after september '20. anyway. It is a bit rich to lecture the EU about unity while looking at Johnson and Cummings, and unity in the UK.
What you posted is like reading this:
" ... five medics will travel to Lebanon to determine the urgent needs in the Beirut health system and look at how the UK can support ..." (https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/uk-medics-fly-beirut-following-deadly-blast)
and then writing "Oh look England will save Beirut alone, with three medics".
Never miss an opportunity to denigrate others, even if they are doing something positive?

If there is a God up there and a pinch of good fortune. Bojo and his puppeteer will go and reside in the EU....you're most welcome to them both.

[Catfish]

Sorry, i had just read a report about Cummings recent "work" and was a bit angry.
I take it the UK will leave the EU in september without a trade treaty, it seems this is what Cummings intended all the time. Whether Johnson even realizes this is uncertain. But there is no british plan or premise for a deal. If you look at it that way the constant non-talks and rejections make some sense.

[mapuc]

There's a massive demonstration in Beirut.

While the people is fighting the government, Hezbollah is hiding and waiting for it to end.

Why is the people fighting the wrong part of the state ?

They should be fighting Hezbollah.

Markus

[Buddahaid]

Low hanging fruit. It's easier to just do something to externalizing frustration than to seek a real solution that is very difficult to achieve.

[Jimbuna]

Sorry, i had just read a report about Cummings recent "work" and was a bit angry.
I take it the UK will leave the EU in september without a trade treaty, it seems this is what Cummings intended all the time. Whether Johnson even realizes this is uncertain. But there is no british plan or premise for a deal. If you look at it that way the constant non-talks and rejections make some sense.

No apology needed Kai, we all have our moments for whatever reason.

I did wonder why the comments appeared in the Beirut thread though :03:

[Jimbuna]

International leaders will hold talks on Sunday to raise aid for Beirut, five days after the massive explosion which devastated the Lebanese capital.

The virtual conference - set up by France and the United Nations - starts at 14:00 Lebanon time (11:00 GMT).

US President Donald Trump has said he plans to join the call.

Officials estimate the blast at the warehouse, which stored 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, caused up to $15 billion (£11.5bn) in damage.

The explosion left at least 158 people dead, 5,000 injured and 300,000 homeless.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53710556

Because of the widespread historical corruption issues I should imagine there will be some hesitation and uncertainty by some potential donors without guarantees of where money would be spent.

It may be better sending physical aid and supplies.

[Jimbuna]

The UK sends another £20 amounting to £25 in total but note precisely who is to be given the money.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the UK offered £5m in emergency support, £3m of it for the British Red Cross. It is now proposing to give a further £20m to the World Food Programme, run by the United Nations.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53714384

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq7pknrrKhI

[Gerald]

https://graphics.reuters.com/LEBANON-SECURITY/BLAST/nmopalewrva/index.html

Oh 'A powerful bang comparable to what is in the link as references.:doh:

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1DnT4ap-60