Massive explosion in Beirut

[VeloClone]

I actually do not remember this one. Probably the drugs.

"Well the '60s were fun, but now I'm paying for it."

 

[LeaningCy]

Here's someone with more experience.

Lebanese authorities are saying ammonium nitrate now too. Apparently they confiscated it from a ship and stored it in the port.

A couple interesting tweets, take it with a grain of salt since the story is still developing:

 

[isutrevman]

At an airport? That was Israels doing.

It looks like it was at a shipping port, not an airport.

 

[ISUTex]

Those look/sound like ammunition rounds going off from a fire. Then whatever the hell that second explosion was. My guess? A bunch of terrorists accidentally blew themselves up.

 

[ArgentCy]

That was a darn big explosion. Complete guess but it looks like what we saw out of Texas. A refinery or more likely some sort of fertilizer.

Nailed it. I doubt that is all that was involved but that's what they are saying now

BEIRUT BLAST CAUSED BY AMMONIUM NITRATE: INTERIOR MINISTER

 

[ArgentCy]

do y'all not remember the fertilizer explosion in texas?

For those with short memories. This explosion does look significantly smaller than the Beirut explosion. Not a good sign.



Wikipedia has an estimate for this explosion was 7.5-10 tons of TNT (from storage of 240 tons of ammonium nitrate). So this would possibly be 20 tons of TNT or more. That is on the magnitude of the original nuclear weapons.

 

[boone7247]

I don't know what it was, but that was nuts.

I will add I feel like if it was Isreal, Lebanon would be saying something about that by now.

 

[BCClone]

Come to Curt's Fireworks Stand home of the original Lebanese fireworks. We are the only stand in American that sells them.

Curt's fireworks stand

 

[Remo Gaggi]

Low-yield nuke (4-5 KT), or a MOAB. It was preemptive.

 

[Buster28]

Remember the TNT shred explosion in Des Moines back in the 80's much smaller but they heard that in Webster City.

I remember that also. It happened the day before The Day After aired on tv. Our house shook (about 35 miles from the explosion) and my mom said, "go out to the machine shed and see what your dad's doing!" When I went outside, you could see a small column of smoke to the south of us on the horizon. If I remember right, it was a couple of kids out hunting, found what looked like an abandoned shed, and decided it would be fun to fire some shots at it. Turns out there were explosives in that shed that ignited. I don't think they ever found the boys. Yikes.

 

[Bigman38]

Lebanese authorities are saying ammonium nitrate now too. Apparently they confiscated it from a ship and stored it in the port.

A couple interesting tweets, take it with a grain of salt since the story is still developing:

The chemistry tweet is interesting, and the conclusion is way more likely than military or terrorist activity.

 

[20eyes]

I don't know what it was, but that was nuts.

I will add I feel like if it was Isreal, Lebanon would be saying something about that by now.

These videos are all just f&cking bananas. I presume the death toll will be high. Not good at all...

It's still hard for me to get a sense of scale...besides "f@cking huge". I wonder if there's any idea of the blast radius?

 

[Rabbuk]

yep ammonium nitrate explosions are dangerous and unfortunately relatively common

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

Didnt the OKC bomber use that

 

[VeloClone]

Didnt the OKC bomber use that

Yeah, I was thinking about posting a pic of the Murrah Building.

Here it is.

 

[StClone]

Favorite explosive video is PEPCON registered 3.5 on Richter scale:

 

[Mr Janny]

These videos are all just f&cking bananas. I presume the death toll will be high. Not good at all...

It's still hard for me to get a sense of scale...besides "f@cking huge". I wonder if there's any idea of the blast radius?

73 deaths reported so far. Many injured tho.

 

[SpokaneCY]

do y'all not remember the fertilizer explosion in texas?

My lawn was never greener for about 6 months after that...

 

[Dr.bannedman]

half of the people in here's brains have been warped by the

My lawn was never greener for about 6 months after that...

thats hilarious 15 people died

 

[SpokaneCY]

Favorite explosive video is PEPCON registered 3.5 on Richter scale:

Lots of normally adjusted people don't have "favorite" explosion videos...

But yeah - pretty spectacular.

 

[SpokaneCY]

half of the people in here's brains have been warped by the



thats hilarious 15 people died

Thanks Pal - I'm totally making fun of the senseless loss of life.