Massive Explosion in Beirut Lebanon

[Paratus]

Looks real. My guess industrial accident at the port.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...s-lebanon-capital-beirut-200804153400078.html
Edit: CNN says fireworks warehouse.

 

[Paratus]

Spoiler: Click for video

https://imgur.com/JWzSJHr

more video

 

[WelshBloke]

https://imgur.com/JWzSJHr

more video

That shock wave!

 

[Paratus]

That shock wave!

Seriously.

Looks like the fire was burning for awhile before it exploded. I hope they evacuated because anyone near that explosion was just done.

Makes me wonder whether some regulations weren’t followed or enforced to allow an explosion that large.

 

[hal2kilo]

It may have started as an industrial fire, but I think somebodies weapon stock pile went up with it. Or an awful lot of fertilizer happened to be there. Looks like the grain elevators are still standing for the most part.

 

[WelshBloke]

Seriously.

Looks like the fire was burning for awhile before it exploded. I hope they evacuated because anyone near that explosion was just done.

Makes me wonder whether some regulations weren’t followed or enforced to allow an explosion that large.

No more details than "A lot" of casualties so far.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-53656328

 

[Paratus]

One more. This was was closer. It looks like you can see firecrackers going off in the fire.

Spoiler: Click for video

 

[hal2kilo]

One more. This was was closer. It looks like you can see firecrackers going off in the fire.

Those aren't firecrackers. Those are probably grenades' and small mortars.

 

[Paratus]

Those aren't firecrackers. Those are probably grenades' and small mortars.

I’m beginning to think you are correct.

 

[Brainonska511]

It may have started as an industrial fire, but I think somebodies weapon stock pile went up with it. Or an awful lot of fertilizer happened to be there. Looks like the grain elevators are still standing for the most part.

Chemist on Twitter speculated it was an ammonium nitrate explosion, based on the color (and behavior much like earlier fertilizer incidents, like West, Texas or Galveston)

 

[Paratus]

Chemist on Twitter speculated it was an ammonium nitrate explosion, based on the color (and behavior much like earlier fertilizer incidents, like West, Texas or Galveston)

Yup. 2300 tons of ammonium nitrate blew on a ship in Galveston harbor. There’s an anchor thrown over mile that’s now a monument to the accident.

 

[hal2kilo]

Chemist on Twitter speculated it was an ammonium nitrate explosion, based on the color (and behavior much like earlier fertilizer incidents, like West, Texas or Galveston)

Yea, the color of the smoke tells you everything That nitrate brown/orange tint is tell tale.

 

[Paratus]

Chemist on Twitter speculated it was an ammonium nitrate explosion, based on the color (and behavior much like earlier fertilizer incidents, like West, Texas or Galveston)

Yea, the color of the smoke tells you everything That nitrate brown/orange tint is tell tale.

Saw some unsubstantiated reporting from a Lebanese army source that the original fire was caused by fireworks which then engulfed a nearby industrial warehouse storing.... nitrate

https://twitter.com/x/status/1290678063643140097

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Just massive carnage. My god.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1290709114545291266

 

[pauldun170]

Wow...
Just wow

 

[hal2kilo]

Wow...
Just wow

There was an amazing shockwave. I can't believe what looked like a grain elevator is still mostly standing.

 

[VRAMdemon]

OMG! ... looked like something out of a movie. Horrible tragedy.

 

[Meghan54]

Horrific

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Very reminiscent of the Bikini Atoll/misc water nuclear tests.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1290670725129371648

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/world/video-footage-from-1946-shows-atomic-bomb-testing-at-bikini-atoll/2015/11/27/82084d96-87ff-11e5-bd91-d385b244482f_video.html

Horrifying.

 

[Brainonska511]

Saw some unsubstantiated reporting from a Lebanese army source that the original fire was caused by fireworks which then engulfed a nearby industrial warehouse storing.... nitrate

https://twitter.com/x/status/1290678063643140097

When are we going to learn to stop storing large amounts of nitrates a) next to other flammable items, and b) adjacent to where a lot of people live? I know it's a port, but that kind of stuff shouldn't be kept there long term.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

When are we going to learn to stop storing large amounts of nitrates a) next to other flammable items, and b) adjacent to where a lot of people live? I know it's a port, but that kind of stuff shouldn't be kept there long term.

Apparently this was nitrate and other chemicals that were seized years ago. Just sitting there. May not have even been originally designed for this kind of material storage.

 

[Brainonska511]

Apparently this was nitrate and other chemicals that were seized years ago. Just sitting there. May not have even been originally designed for this kind of material storage.

Yeah, I understand that it was seized. But it still should be properly dealt with. It's not like humanity doesn't understand the risks involved in storing nitrates improperly.

 

[FaaR]

The people of Lebanon and Beirut have really suffered enough, with 15 years of civil war and then ongoing strife and corruption. Very saddening to see this happen today.

I'd say I hope everybody's OK, but it's clear from what little I've read and seen in the news of this that lots of people are not. Very very saddening!

 

[aigomorla]

anyone know approximately how powerful the blast was in reference to TNT?

OMG! ... looked like something out of a movie. Horrible tragedy.

It looked like something out from a Call of Duty campaign, especially with the location.

Really terrifying when you realize its real life.

 

[Paratus]

yikes

This thread has pics from all over. Some are scarily close. (Ignore the top pic it’s from a volcanoe)

https://imgur.com/a/2chsYXt