Lebanon Blast - Shockwave Video

[shri]

Shows how powerful the blast was:

https://twitter.com/Partisang...39466651308032

Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further after Tuesday’s blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead. It was the most powerful explosion in years to hit Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections.

President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures and said it was “unacceptable”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-l...-idUSKCN25021M

[shri]

50+ dead and over 3000 injured. Both numbers expected to rise over the next 24 hours.

https://twitter.com/BillNeely...61746291007489

[MABinPengChau]

Saw it nearly live on Al Jazeera, reported the mushroom cloud as breaking news last night in the middle of a regular news report.

Why, on earth, is that much ammonium nitrate stored for SIX YEARS (!) in what looks to be prime real estate in the port? I mean, safety issues aside, just seems like a waste of a good storage facility. Lots of questions needing answers...

[Shiojiri Hiro]

This is so terrible on a human level. A buddy of mine works for the UN and is currently based there - we were chatting last week and he was telling me how life was so hard for the local people. Electricity supply issues, currency devaluations, its geographical location all meant that there was/is a lot of tension on the streets of Beirut directed at the powers that be.

Also - I cant believe that 2nd video of that guy filming it from up close!!! Crazy!

[shri]

NYT coverage and tweets from the scene...

https://twitter.com/Abihabib/...77041231474689

[chuckster007]

Thats like the Tianjin explosion in China. The shockwave does so much more damage.

[Coolboy]

Wow...how can that much potential explosives just be left there unchecked?

Yup, definitely reminds of the Tinajin explosion back in 2015 where, like this case, vast amount of hazardous material was left unchecked at a warehouse at the Port of Tianjin, including 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 500 tonnes of potassium nitrate were at the blast site.

[JAherbert]

President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures and said it was “unacceptable”.

ok my translation .......government and officials knew the exact quantity and its location for 6 years.........but did nothing.

[shri]

Abandoned cargo...



https://twitter.com/LalehKhalili/sta...62410308050947

[AsianXpat0]

https://twitter.com/Conflicts...77582078398464