Large explosion in Beirut - hundreds reported injured

[-Astoria-]

Possibly around 50+ dead & 2,700 injured, says health minster.

[Aeritai]

Hopefully firework companies in other countries will learn from this incident that dealing with these types of explosives are dangerous the death toll is very troubling as well as the number of injuries.

[Fartsniffage]

From the video, it is the building next to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jGUU3E ... e=youtu.be

The first video has a really good angle.

Watch the moment of the blast in the first video in full HD at 0.25 speed, the damage the blast does to the nearby buildings really is frightening.

Yeah, that was tonnes and tonnes of high explosive going off. It apparently destroyed the facade of a shopping mall 2 kilometers away. You don't get that with fireworks, gunpowder doesn't burn fast enough.

[Mestovakia]

They're saying it was explosives stored by the military.

Edit: It may be a conspiracy theory.

[The New California Republic]

Watch the moment of the blast in the first video in full HD at 0.25 speed, the damage the blast does to the nearby buildings really is frightening.

Yeah, that was tonnes and tonnes of high explosive going off. It apparently destroyed the facade of a shopping mall 2 kilometers away. You don't get that with fireworks, gunpowder doesn't burn fast enough.

And in the other videos on the BBC, the one filmed from a boat which shows the vapour/shockwave that pushes the clouds out of the way...the only other place I've seen that shit happen is during nuclear weapons testing, which makes apparent the quantity of explosives that were involved.

[The New California Republic]

PM: 'Unacceptable' that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate be in warehouse

Lebanon's Prime Minsiter Hassan Diab has said it is "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were being stored in a warehouse.

"I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment," the prime minister was quoted as saying by an official Twitter account.

"It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures and endangering the safety of citizens".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-m ... type=share

[Middle Barael]

According to an Australian state government workplace health and safety website, Ammonia Nitrate (which is assumed to be the cause of the explosion) will melt when heated and release toxic gases including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia gas (NH3). If it is heated excessively, as in a fire, it can cause an explosion.

According to the US embassy in Beirut, people in the area should wear masks and stay indoors, due to the possible presence of toxic gases such as NO_x and NH₃.

As if the situation in the Middle East couldn't get any worse

Edit: Here's a Live Tracker of the Explosion and its Causes and Effects:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... on-capital

[Northern Izmir]

I looked at the photos of damaged buildings and this looks really sad. Death toll seems to have risen to 73 people. My heart goes to all who are affected by the explosion.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

PM: 'Unacceptable' that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate be in warehouse

Lebanon's Prime Minsiter Hassan Diab has said it is "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were being stored in a warehouse.

"I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment," the prime minister was quoted as saying by an official Twitter account.

"It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures and endangering the safety of citizens".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-m ... type=share

So someone put a bunch of bomb making material in a warehouse and then did fuck all to move it and left it there.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

I'm convinced we've been watching the end of Lebanon for the past several months. Honestly with how much their economy has collapsed, the sheer corruption in their government and businesses and now this, i dont think Lebanon is gonna be around by January 1st, 2021.

I know we're about to get a load of Lebanese refugees in my town. We have alot of Arabs here and a large number of Syrian refugees came here in 2015, so I know the survivors of the end of Lebanon will come here.

[Heloin]

PM: 'Unacceptable' that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate be in warehouse

Lebanon's Prime Minsiter Hassan Diab has said it is "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were being stored in a warehouse.

"I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment," the prime minister was quoted as saying by an official Twitter account.

"It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures and endangering the safety of citizens".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-m ... type=share

So someone put a bunch of bomb making material in a warehouse and then did fuck all to move it and left it there.

Happens all the time. I'm not joking.

[SD_Film Artists]

PM: 'Unacceptable' that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate be in warehouse

Lebanon's Prime Minsiter Hassan Diab has said it is "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were being stored in a warehouse.

"I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment," the prime minister was quoted as saying by an official Twitter account.

"It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures and endangering the safety of citizens".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-m ... type=share

So were the initial flashing explosions smaller stores of ammonium nitrate or it was fireworks which then set off the ammonium nitrate?

[La Xinga]

Great, another thing to add to my 2020 list. I hope it's nothing much.

[The New California Republic]

PM: 'Unacceptable' that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate be in warehouse

Lebanon's Prime Minsiter Hassan Diab has said it is "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were being stored in a warehouse.

"I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment," the prime minister was quoted as saying by an official Twitter account.

"It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures and endangering the safety of citizens".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-m ... type=share

So were the initial flashing explosions smaller stores of ammonium nitrate or it was fireworks which then set off the ammonium nitrate?

The smaller explosions could have even been things like gas cylinders inside/around the warehouse exploding. We don't know what the fuck else was in there.

But I don't know where people are getting the whole "fireworks" thing from, I haven't heard or seen anything related to fireworks being the cause or in any way involved in this incident.

[Heloin]

But I don't know where people are getting the whole "fireworks" thing from, I haven't heard or seen anything related to fireworks being the cause or in any way involved in this incident.

Initials reports that turned out to be false. People get information at different speeds. It's not an unreasonably thought as a cause for the first explosion but almost certainly not the case.

[Agarntrop]

Another thing to add to the modern rendition of we didn't start the fire, I guess.

Sadly I think the death toll will run into the hundreds personally.

[Ethel mermania]

A fireworks factory in the middle of city, sure it was.

And epstein killed himself.

[The New California Republic]

But I don't know where people are getting the whole "fireworks" thing from, I haven't heard or seen anything related to fireworks being the cause or in any way involved in this incident.

Initials reports that turned out to be false. People get information at different speeds. It's not an unreasonably thought as a cause for the first explosion but almost certainly not the case.

Since it wasn't fireworks then we can throw the idea in the bin.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

A fireworks factory in the middle of city, sure it was.

And epstein killed himself.

Sounds like an excuse Al Capone would make for a bar bombing if he had Trump's brainpower.

"There was a horrible fireworks accident and people died. So sad, so sad."

[Fartsniffage]

A fireworks factory in the middle of city, sure it was.

And epstein killed himself.

It wasn't in the middle of the city. It wasn't a fireworks factory, it was a warehouse with a couple of thousand tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Give your take it might actually possible Epstein did kill himself....

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Initials reports that turned out to be false. People get information at different speeds. It's not an unreasonably thought as a cause for the first explosion but almost certainly not the case.

Since it wasn't fireworks then we can throw the idea in the bin.

Well I was right about one thing so far. It wasn't fireworks.

[Aeritai]

A fireworks factory in the middle of city, sure it was.

And epstein killed himself.

Not a fireworks factory someone left 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate with no safety precautions.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

A fireworks factory in the middle of city, sure it was.

And epstein killed himself.

Not a fireworks factory someone left 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate with no safety precautions.

What living in a failed state is all about.

[SD_Film Artists]

So were the initial flashing explosions smaller stores of ammonium nitrate or it was fireworks which then set off the ammonium nitrate?

The smaller explosions could have even been things like gas cylinders inside/around the warehouse exploding. We don't know what the fuck else was in there.

But I don't know where people are getting the whole "fireworks" thing from, I haven't heard or seen anything related to fireworks being the cause or in any way involved in this incident.

It was the first reported reason, and it's a plausable explanation for why there's lots of explosive flashes coming from a burning industrial building (or the gas cylinders as you mentioned); much more plausible than the 'It's Israel' conspiracies going around.

[Lanorth]

Not hundreds - 2,700 and up;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53656220