Huge explosion in Beirut

[AlexB]

Apparently caused by customs storing 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the port, possibly next to a fireworks factory/storage area that was the first fire.

Other than historical footage of nuclear Bombs, never seen anything like this before, and it’s blown their port to bits, which is by far Lebanon’s main entry point for food & medicine.

[QuikSand]

"fireworks" got it

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

"fireworks" got it

[PilotMan]

Simply terrifying.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

"fireworks" got it

One of the videos clearly shows what could well be fireworks going off before the entire building erupted in the huge explosion - all it needed was a spark.

Now how the fireworks (or similar) started, that’s a different question.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I had trouble getting my head around the alleged cause until I saw something that gave me a frame of reference: Galveston Bay 1947

So, yeah, I do find it plausible.

[GrantDawg]

That explosion was so powerful they are saying that no buildings are left with windows in most/all of the city.

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[GrantDawg]

Trump just claimed it was an attack.

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[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

"fireworks" got it

Clearly there was a fire that led up to this explosion.

http://twitter.com/Motinsitepegas/st...81061648207872

I haven’t seen nor have I admittedly searched for other videos as of yet.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Trump just claimed it was an attack.

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tbf, he said it 'looks' like a terrible attack.

[BishopMVP]

The West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion in 05/06 is another frame of reference. (That thankfully killed a lot fewer people.)

Fireworks stored next to tons of nitrate in a heavily populated area does seem like a pretty big oversight, but horrible accident does seem more likely than attack considering you can see all the small explosions prior to the big one in so many videos. (Seriously, how are there *this many* videos from people clearly within the blast radius? If we're allowed to laugh at jokes I saw someone say it's nice to know our phones can survive 4 megaton blasts and sound waves but not a 3 foot drop off the counter.)

[whomario]

No way the number of dead won't be much higher when it's all accounted for. Saving grace might be it being more an Office district and after 6 pm but that's just way to dense an area for current numbers to hold up ... (Heck, apparently a lot of unrelated patients in hospitals also died as the fucking power went out) 2020 everybody ...

Also destroyed food stores along with the absolutely vital harbour and also commercial areas surrounding it ...

Originally Posted by PilotMan

tbf, he said it 'looks' like a terrible attack.

The inflection seemed clear he thinks it is one and the "looks" was less "it looks like an attack" than "it looked terrible". He also added this:

"I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was," the president said. "This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. This was a – seems to be, according to them, they would know better than I would – but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes."

Which might well mean one guy out of 5 mentioned it as a mere possibility and he's running with it, knowing his track record with picking a narrative.

[bob]

Terrifying video from a guy driving his car while filming the Beirut explosion

https://twitter.com/RexChapman/statu...69713539305474

[GrantDawg]

They now estimate the power of the blast at 1.5 kilotons. Just for refence, the largest conventional bomb hits at 11 tons.

[CU Tiger]

I read something last night that compared it to the OKC bombing.
Essentially the same substrate, albeit packaged and organized in OKC.
OKC was estimated at 1,250lbs and this was just north of 6,000,000 lbs...

Just in those terms is eye opening.

[Kodos]

It really did look like a small nuclear bomb had been detonated.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I had trouble getting my head around the alleged cause until I saw something that gave me a frame of reference: Galveston Bay 1947

So, yeah, I do find it plausible.

I read about this yesterday. Both fascinating and terrifying. Incredible that it's something I had never, ever heard about before.

[cuervo72]

Yep, good call.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/histo...rut-hiroshima/

[whomario]

The Before/After pictures are pretty shocking ...


Beirut explosion: satellite images before and after the blast | World news | The Guardian

[GrantDawg]

Major fire in the port today. It starts to make you wonder if they don't have someone/group starting these.

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[whomario]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Major fire in the port today. It starts to make you wonder if they don't have someone/group starting these.

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"Trouble breeds trouble" is just as good an explanation. There's likely a shitton of makeshift fixes to wiring etc.
I don't think we can remotely imagine the pressures and limitations in place in keeping afloat what is essentially the citys lifeline.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I was reading an article somewhere - The Economist, maybe? - about how the entire Lebanese economy was already in a precarious state before the port was shut down. Unrest/rioting/general non-organized chaos is probably just as likely a culprit as something more nefarious.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I was reading an article somewhere - The Economist, maybe? - about how the entire Lebanese economy was already in a precarious state before the port was shut down. Unrest/rioting/general non-organized chaos is probably just as likely a culprit as something more nefarious.

I saw something recently saying exactly this. Ever since the port blew, there has been unrest due to the government not doing anything about it. The government was already unpopular before as well.