Massive explosion rocks Beirut, causing hundreds of injuries and widespread damage

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Quote

BEIRUT — A large explosion rocked the port area of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on Tuesday, injuring hundreds and causing widespread damage in a densely populated part of the city.

 

Images and videos on social media appear to show large plumes of smoke and damaged buildings, but the cause of the blast and exact location are not immediately clear.

 

“Injuries are definitely within the hundreds," a spokesman for the Lebanese Red Cross told NBC News by telephone. "I cannot give a specific number of casualties at the moment, we are overwhelmed with cases.”

 

Lebanon's National News Agency reported the cause may have been a fire in a hangar where explosives were being stored in the Beirut port, on the country's west coast.

 

Images and videos posted on social media and verified by NBC News' social newsgathering team, compared with satellite imagery, appear to corroborate that the explosion happened at a warehouse at Beirut Port Silos.

 

//snip

 

NBC News

 

I believe the latest death toll is 10.  However, it is probably going to be much, much higher.  Beirut's hospitals are also at capacity due to COVID-19.

 

 

[shockz]

Oh boy.

[+primortal Subscriber²]

That explosion was extraordinary.
 

From the sea,

Further away,

 

 

[+primortal Subscriber²]

 

Quote

Separately Al Mayadeen television cited Lebanon’s customs director general as saying tonnes of nitrate had exploded.

 

 

 

[wakjak]

I believe the number of deaths will be in the hundreds... with an explosion that massive, how can it not be?

What the hell happened? What could cause such an explosion?

[shockz]

11 minutes ago, wakjak said:

I believe the number of deaths will be in the hundreds... with an explosion that massive, how can it not be?

What the hell happened? What could cause such an explosion?

Rumors are Hezbaloh had a stock pile of weapons there... there was a separate fire that spread (fireworks rumored) to a building with flammable chemicals, which also caught on fire, and then reached the weapons stock pile. 

Edited August 4, 2020 by shockz

[wakjak]

Not sure about Hezbollah involvement but... 

 

 

 

That's a hell of a lot of ammonium nitrate sitting around unsecured.... 

 

Hopefully they find out who /why something like that was allowed to happen... 

[DocM]

2750 tons would be about 500 tons more than the Texas City explosion

 

 

😵

Edited August 5, 2020 by DocM

[mudslag]

Bunch of different angles and some after effects

 

Angle #1 

https://streamable.com/xmmoa7

Angle #2 

https://streamable.com/nscx9m

Angle #3 

https://streamable.com/zbjj5f

Angle #4 

https://streamable.com/saoafz

Angle #5 

https://streamable.com/4ga1vb

Angle #6 

https://streamable.com/lmivb2

Angle #7 

https://streamable.com/mcy82f

Angle #8 

https://streamable.com/zg9oal

Angle #9 

https://streamable.com/zykkj6

Angle #10 

https://streamable.com/22e152

 

 

 

 

[techbeck]

At least 100 dead, more than 4,000 injured in Beirut explosion: Lebanese Red Cross

https://www.foxnews.com/world/at-least-100-dead-more-than-4000-injured-in-beirut-explosion-lebanese-red-cross-official

[jnelsoninjax]

Was this a terrorist attack or just really poor planing/storage of flammable and explosive materials?

[+primortal Subscriber²]

5 minutes ago, jnelsoninjax said:

Was this a terrorist attack or just really poor planing/storage of flammable and explosive materials?

 

 

I haven't heard of anyone taking claim of the incident yet.  From what I've been reading so far, it sounds like it was negligence.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

Some of that footage was taken really close to the epicentre. I really hope that those who filmed where okay

[+Warwagon MVC]

39 minutes ago, jnelsoninjax said:

Was this a terrorist attack or just really poor planing/storage of flammable and explosive materials?

 Normally Terrorists don't start a fire first. They just blow it up.

[+primortal Subscriber²]

27 minutes ago, dipsylalapo said:

Some of that footage was taken really close to the epicentre. I really hope that those who filmed where okay

 

I've seen a Tweet last night about the Tweet that has a video in @mudslag post that the person that filmed that view did indeed die as a result of the explosion.

 

 

[Steven P. Administrators]

Saw this on the news this morning, really sad at the loss of life  but it was not a terrorist incident and of course the idiot President in the US immediately said his generals told him it was a bomb, meanwhile the actual cause was already known yesterday:

Quote

 

President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertiliser in agriculture and as an explosive.

 

The ammonium nitrate was seized off a ship in 2013 and stored unsafely for all that time, so it basically was an accident waiting to happen.

 

Updates here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53659282

 

[neufuse Veteran]

7 minutes ago, Steven P. said:

Saw this on the news this morning, really sad at the loss of life  but it was not a terrorist incident and of course the idiot President in the US immediately said his generals told him it was a bomb, meanwhile the actual cause was already known yesterday:

The ammonium nitrate was seized off a ship in 2013 and stored unsafely for all that time, so it basically was an accident waiting to happen.

 

Updates here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53659282

 

yeah I saw trump say that this morning and first thought was gawd trump just shut up........ everyone already knew what happened when he said that at the press conference and yet he goes on with that.....

[Steven P. Administrators]

17 minutes ago, neufuse said:

yeah I saw trump say that this morning and first thought was gawd trump just shut up........ everyone already knew what happened when he said that at the press conference and yet he goes on with that.....

I know, he just believes his own BS even when everyone else is saying something else. What annoyed me is that the Dutch news gave him any credence at all with the incident, that spreads a false narrative, for what? 

[neufuse Veteran]

6 minutes ago, Steven P. said:

I know, he just believes his own BS even when everyone else is saying something else. What annoyed me is that the Dutch news gave him any credence at all with the incident, that spreads a false narrative, for what? 

all he should of said was "we're sending aid" end of story... but nope...

[techbeck]

85% of the grain silos were destroyed.

[+primortal Subscriber²]

 

[techbeck]

Coworker has a brother who lives a few miles away from the blast.  He is ok, but to be that close had to be something else

[cork1958]

2 hours ago, Steven P. said:

Saw this on the news this morning, really sad at the loss of life  but it was not a terrorist incident and of course the idiot President in the US immediately said his generals told him it was a bomb, meanwhile the actual cause was already known yesterday:

The ammonium nitrate was seized off a ship in 2013 and stored unsafely for all that time, so it basically was an accident waiting to happen.

 

Updates here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53659282

 

Exactly what I was going to say about that idiot President and his informants!

[margrave]

One of the angles of the explosion was like mini shroom cloud for a split second at the start.

 

This is just horrible.

[techbeck]

Technically, it was a bomb since ammonium nitrate is the main/most important component used in some bombs/explosive materials.  No one planted anything but storing that much ammonium nitrate improperly, a disaster waiting to happen.

 

But anyway, just curious on what started the fire to begin with and why the ammonium nitrate was stored for 6 years and not properly disposed of.   This could have been avoided.

Edited August 5, 2020 by techbeck