(or maybe a ship loaded with illicit weapons intended for who knows who?)
Fireworks warehouse went first, it was next to warehouse storing explosives making materials, That was the main event. Looked like about the size of a tactical Nuke.
Definitely more than a few thousand pounds. I first thought, "Hmm, suitcase nuke?" But a building full of explosives sounds more plausible. Fireworks alone couldn't go boom like that.
I'm hearing fire started in fireworks warehouse, in teh video I saw you could clearly see many small explosions going off. Then it spread to an adjacent ware house where a confiscated ammonium nitrate shipment was stored. Then, BOOM.
In pictures below (screenshots take from video, one frame apart each) you see the initial fire and see it spread to the building just to the right.
Put the ammonium nitrate next to the fireworks. Very smart! It's like storing a drum of gasoline next to a burning fireplace or anything that may create an electric spark.
I was thinking the tall building beside the explosion was apartments / a hotel etc. Thankfully it was instead storage silos. If that had been full of people....
Absolutely Nuts, Center of populated downtown area used as storage for High explosive in an unstable environment. Whoever thought this one up shouldn't be in charge of a flea circus .
Absolutely Nuts, Center of populated downtown area used as storage for High explosive in an unstable environment. Whoever thought this one up shouldn't be in charge of a flea circus .
Yes, it is shocking that something that dangerous would be in a populated area. I wouldn't have thought it possible.
PM: 'Unacceptable' that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate be in warehouse
Little Boy was 15 kilotons
This was 2.75...
Mind you one was a measure of TNT, this was ammonium nitrate. I'm not sure what the conversion ratio is.
edit, hmmmmmmmmm:
Quote
The relative effectiveness factor (RE factor) relates an explosive's demolition power to that of TNT, in units of the TNT equivalent/kg (TNTe/kg). The RE factor is the relative mass of TNT to which an explosive is equivalent: The greater the RE, the more powerful the explosive.
This enables engineers to determine the proper masses of different explosives when applying blasting formulas developed specifically for TNT. For example, if a timber-cutting formula calls for a charge of 1 kg of TNT, then based on octanitrocubane's RE factor of 2.38, it would take only 1.0/2.38 (or 0.42) kg of it to do the same job. Using PETN, engineers would need 1.0/1.66 (or 0.60) kg to obtain the same effects as 1 kg of TNT. With ANFO or ammonium nitrate, they would require 1.0/0.74 (or 1.35) kg or 1.0/0.42 (or 2.38) kg, respectively.
So assuming this was regular ammonium nitrate, then a little over 1 kiloton TNT equivalent, so far less, but still...
Who stores fireworks in a warehouse next to ammonium nitrate?
Absolutely Nuts, Center of populated downtown area used as storage for High explosive in an unstable environment. Whoever thought this one up shouldn't be in charge of a flea circus .
Yes, it is shocking that something that dangerous would be in a populated area. I wouldn't have thought it possible.
This is actually quite common all around the world, here in The Netherlands an entire residential area was destroyed back in 2000, after a fireworks factory in the dead center of it exploded. Other european countries didn’t change their chemicals policy at all after that.
In the end it’s basic economics: Who is going to pay for moving the depot/factory out of town, when the industry has been at the same location for decades? In the Beirut case it has been there for only 6 years, but it was in an industrial zone in the harbor. The only safer way is reducing the quantity of inventory allowed, but if they just build several smaller factories/depots the risk will just increase, rather than decrease.
When something is “safe enough” is not an easy puzzle to solve
The problem is fireworks is made up of Black powder Sulfur and charcoal, Burns up and out, ( Unstable ) Factories burned down in the U.S. a few times. To store or manufacture a amount of high yield explosive as ammonium nitrate , Explodes , with an Unstable fire source is irresponsible.
The problem is fireworks is made up of Black powder Sulfur and charcoal, Burns up and out, ( Unstable ) Factories burned down in the U.S. a few times. To store or manufacture a amount of high yield explosive as ammonium nitrate , Explodes , with an Unstable fire source is irresponsible.
Exactly Stupidity during a pandemic,Won`t be the last.
Not the first time Ammonium Nitrate caused explosions and killed innocent people. It has happened before going as far back as 104 years ago. Time to outlaw Ammonium Nitrate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate_disasters
Not the first time Ammonium Nitrate caused explosions and killed innocent people. It has happened before going as far back as 104 years ago. Time to outlaw Ammonium Nitrate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate_disasters
Thousands die in cars every year, time to outlaw cars.
The grain silos appear to have shielded part of the city from the direct blast and reflected some of the shockwave energy up and out to sea.
Good to hear at least a sliver of good news in this disaster.
According to the local governor, there are a quarter of a million people homeless.
I’ll definitely visit Beirut again after this whole covid thing is gone. Fantastic city and people, and the club scene at night is among the best in the world. They can use all the financial help they can get.
when i received one video from a building i thouigh it was fake, because the kick to the explosion happened to fast and the shockwave looks very anime strong.......so i rewatched frame by frame and saw it was a colossal shockwave and the way the explosion happened to fast was due to the camera, but still from other videos, the kick from initial blast to full dome was ridiculous fast, never seen a explosion go out like that before. we can rule tatical nuke or suitcase nuke or the spots would had caugh the particles by now, and everyone would be in panic.
Originally Posted by carrick58
Absolutely Nuts, Center of populated downtown area used as storage for High explosive in an unstable environment. Whoever thought this one up shouldn't be in charge of a flea circus .
you would be surprised how many similar situatons are around the world and people are unaware, in brazil i know that in rio de janeiro, the army had a artilery shells manufacturing right next to a populated area untill it went boom, luckly it only killed 3 people, one homeless and the personal on duty. so they learned and moved the storage away from public area so this would not repeat...untill
Not the first time Ammonium Nitrate caused explosions and killed innocent people. It has happened before going as far back as 104 years ago. Time to outlaw Ammonium Nitrate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate_disasters
Thousands die in cars every year, time to outlaw cars.
Completely irrelevant. Cars are an essential part of our life, and due to what they are useful for they need to go almost everywhere. Fertiliser is also essential, but doesn't have to be stored or manufactured in built up areas.
Not the first time Ammonium Nitrate caused explosions and killed innocent people. It has happened before going as far back as 104 years ago. Time to outlaw Ammonium Nitrate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_nitrate_disasters
Thousands die in cars every year, time to outlaw cars.
Completely irrelevant. Cars are an essential part of our life, and due to what they are useful for they need to go almost everywhere. Fertiliser is also essential, but doesn't have to be stored or manufactured in built up areas.
And if NFB had stated that storing ammonium nitrate near population centers should be banned he would have been making sense, but he didn't did he?
Where the warehouse was is now new harbor. Crater must be deep. Ship docked next warehouse is now sitting destroyed on land across the new harbor.Take a look at these before and after slider pictures. Unreal.
The sadness of this event will lead to unrest soon. Country was already in economic crisis like no other and now destroy a City. Reading this They all loosing hope.
I've looked at every video you posted NFB and cannot spot this object, suppose it could be a bird in the foreground? [edit] I'm referring to your earlier list of captures
I've looked at every video you posted NFB and cannot spot this object, suppose it could be a bird in the foreground? [edit] I'm referring to your earlier list of captures
I agree. I don't see it in this video I posted yesterday
The truly terrifying thing is that every terrorist organization just got a big explosives lesson documented and explained.
It would require - unnoticed - moving and storing 3000 tons of material which is reasonable controlled in most western countries (i.e., subject to regulations and restrictions on sale and handling).
Pretty sure that terrorists already know that fertilizer goes boom (and flour dust, and so on). However, as RSColonel said, it's not that easy to bring a couple of thousand tons of stuff into a city.
True as my friend said to me yesterday, but if any of the less educated saw it they have a pretty clear picture now. What is amazing is that it was stored there since 2014 and didn't go off sooner.
Drawing a conclusion from the News ( Until more is found out about the blast) It seems , the Officials of the Port/City Knew for years about the potential danger,but decided to " Kick the Can down the Road ". A kinda of why make/enforce a decision Today when U can wait or pass the buck later.
Pretty sure that terrorists already know that fertilizer goes boom (and flour dust, and so on). However, as RSColonel said, it's not that easy to bring a couple of thousand tons of stuff into a city.
If it were smuggled in in small amounts over time, or hidden aboard a cargo ship with the intent of detonating it pier side or a short distance offshore, I don't think it would be all that difficult.
Pretty sure that terrorists already know that fertilizer goes boom (and flour dust, and so on). However, as RSColonel said, it's not that easy to bring a couple of thousand tons of stuff into a city.
If it were smuggled in in small amounts over time, or hidden aboard a cargo ship with the intent of detonating it pier side or a short distance offshore, I don't think it would be all that difficult.
Much easier to get into a truck and drive through a crowded street. Far less chance of detection. Trying to move hundreds of tons of fertilizer takes such a large organization it would have large chances of detection.
If it wasn't so sad it would be comical. Nearly 3000 tons of explosive and a few tons of fireworks in the same building. The people responsible for not rectifying this should be hung by their balls from a crane in the city center.
Looking at the video from the Sun, I have to wonder why someone set up on a roof to film a fire at the port? Were they expecting it to blow up because it was a Fireworks warehouse?
Looking at the video from the Sun, I have to wonder why someone set up on a roof to film a fire at the port? Were they expecting it to blow up because it was a Fireworks warehouse?
Looking at the video from the Sun, I have to wonder why someone set up on a roof to film a fire at the port? Were they expecting it to blow up because it was a Fireworks warehouse?
Looking at the video from the Sun, I have to wonder why someone set up on a roof to film a fire at the port? Were they expecting it to blow up because it was a Fireworks warehouse?
It is someone's balcony - an apartment, perhaps an office, but you can see potted plants and other elements suggestive of a normal domestic environment.
I myself have filmed an accident, fire and explosion (in my case a 'minor' incident involving overheating bitumen using propane heaters on the unfinished roof of a new development ~ some 15 minutes after the initial alarm sounded the propane tanks at the seat of the fire exploded sending debris some 500m into the river (around twice the distance to the window I was filming from).
I see nothing unusual or even noteworthy about the filming location (it was slightly rarer to have a film camera when I recorded my fire, but now almost everyone has a tablet, phone or similar device in their pocket/bag nearly all the time, and the absence of such footage would have been more surprising IMO).
Looking at the video from the Sun, I have to wonder why someone set up on a roof to film a fire at the port? Were they expecting it to blow up because it was a Fireworks warehouse?
Only if one wears a tinfoil suit.
AAAAND the video is now deleted....maybe because it show a invisible object in the sky near the building being vaporized by the blast ?