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

By Jim K
in Real World News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, margrave said:

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

 

This is just horrible.

Watched a video of a guy who was a filming the fire a few miles away from a high rise.  Then you see the explosion and the guy took cover.  When he went back to filming, you just see a bunch of smoke/dust and a big red cloud.

Grand Master

+primortal Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted
48 minutes ago, techbeck said:

Technically, it was a bomb since ammonium nitrate is the main/most important component used in some bombs/explosive materials.

 
 
 

So, would you call fireworks bombs also because they to also have components used in making bombs/explosive materials and as a bonus have fuse?  Ammonium nitrate has other uses than being just a component of making bombs.  So no, it technically wasn't a bomb, being it wasn't exploded by impact, fuse, or timing device.

  • 300z, +Nik Louch and waysidesc
  • Like 3
Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted (edited)
32 minutes ago, primortal said:

So, would you call fireworks bombs also because they to also have components used in making bombs/explosive materials and as a bonus have fuse?  Ammonium nitrate has other uses than being just a component of making bombs.  So no, it technically wasn't a bomb, being it wasn't exploded by impact, fuse, or timing device.

Just my opinion.  Depending on what caused the fire to begin with, materials could have been set on fire purposely acting like a fuse to ignite the ammonium nitrate.   If someone wanted to cause destruction in that area, 99 percent of the work is already done.   Beirut has had their fair share of attacks over the years.    Hopefully not a purposeful act as the world does not need another disaster like this. 

 

Anyway, the ammonium nitrate should have been disposed of a long time ago and this could have been prevented.

 

List of attacks in Lebanon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_in_Lebanon

 

Lebanon has a history of bomb incidents.  So why make a bomb when the majority of the work is done for you.  Just need a way to ignite it.  Again, hopefully this is not the case where someone did this intentionally.

Edited by techbeck
Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted
33 minutes ago, primortal said:

So, would you call fireworks bombs also because they to also have components used in making bombs/explosive materials and as a bonus have fuse?  Ammonium nitrate has other uses than being just a component of making bombs.  So no, it technically wasn't a bomb, being it wasn't exploded by impact, fuse, or timing device.

Fireworks absolutely are, albeit a miniaturized form.  The general term applies to a chemical reaction that triggers an explosion, and means of ignition doesn't really matter.

Grand Master

wakjak

Posted
Posted

I think the fire happened in a fireworks factory nearby and spread to other nearby buildings, finally reaching the storage area for the ammonium nitrate.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the death toll reaches over 1000.

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
Posted (edited)

Methinks Hezbollah is going to have a problem...

 

https://www.chron.com/news/article/Beirut-blast-death-toll-rises-to-100-with-more-15459969.php#item-85307-tbla-6

 

Quote

Shock turns to anger following fatal blast in Beirut

 

BEIRUT - As dazed Lebanese picked through the wreckage inflicted by the massive explosion in their capital city on Wednesday, shock turned to anger at the corruption and incompetence that allowed a massive pile of dangerous chemicals to sit unattended in a warehouse at Beirut's port for six years.
>
...The blast was heard 150 miles away on the island of Cyprus.
>
"People saw firsthand with devastating results what it means to have a failed state," said Paul Abi Nasr of the Lebanese Association of Industrialists. "It's not just that the government is corrupt, that the state is weak, that there are weapons outside the hands of the government. We saw these things come together catastrophically."
>
"Even if foreign countries send help, the government will steal it," said a 23-year-old student who was among hundreds of volunteers who showed up to help clear the streets of debris and broken glass.

In any case, she said, "we will not be able to repair all this."
>

 

Grand Master

spikey_richie

Posted
Posted (edited)

"They believe the explosion was the equivalent of 1,000 to 1,500 tonnes of TNT – a blast intensity which would support the belief that it was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser."

 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/beirut-explosion-was-one-of-the-biggest-non-nuclear-blasts-in-human-history

  • +Edouard, Steven P. and +Nik Louch
  • Like 1
  • Sad 2
Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted

Beirut explosion linked to Russian ship storing ammonium nitrate left in port, called 'floating bomb'

https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-ship-storing-ammonium-nitrate-was-left-in-beirut-port-without-safety-precautions-repo


 

Quote

 

Investigators probing the devastating blast in Beirut that killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 more are pointing to a Russian ship docked in the city's port for nearly seven years without appropriate security precautions that officials warned was “a floating bomb.”

 

The Russian vessel, named MV Rhosus, carrying agricultural fertilizer with 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate and en route to Mozambique hit a financial snag and docked in the Beruit port in 2013, according to legal documents and Lebanese officials, the Washington Post reported.

 

Lebanon’s director of customs, Badri Daher, repeatedly sent letters to the judiciary over the years and warned that the cargo was the equivalent of “a floating bomb," but the warnings went unheeded.

 

 

  • spikey_richie
  • Like 1
Mentor

waysidesc

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, primortal said:

So, would you call fireworks bombs also because they to also have components used in making bombs/explosive materials and as a bonus have fuse?  Ammonium nitrate has other uses than being just a component of making bombs.  So no, it technically wasn't a bomb, being it wasn't exploded by impact, fuse, or timing device.

Not only that ... but it is clear that the U.S. so-called leader meant that it was an attack ... when it wasn't ...

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
Posted
On 8/5/2020 at 9:10 AM, 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.....

 

Apparently not...

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/08/07/beirut-explosion-due-negligence-missile-says-lebanon-president/3317722001/

 

Quote

 

Lebanon president: Beirut explosion either due to negligence or missile, bomb

 

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Friday there are two possible causes of Tuesday’s explosion that killed nearly 150 people – either negligence or “external intervention” by a missile or bomb.

He also rejected the United Nations human rights commission call for an international investigation.

>

 

 

Grand Master

adrynalyne

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, DocM said:

 

Apparently not...

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/08/07/beirut-explosion-due-negligence-missile-says-lebanon-president/3317722001/

 

 

In other words, he doesn't know. In that its one of those, is something ANYONE could have surmised.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge

      By +Warwagon · Posted

      Now 8GB of ram looks even worse in the Neo. I'm so happy I purchased 128GB of DDR 4 when I did.... paid $174. Upgraded my parents laptop to 32GB around the same time for $48. Luckily I have a TON of spare laptops. So i'm good on laptops for a while. I also have a lot of desktops too that I could use if i had to. Lets just hope nothing happens to my main 4 monitor couch workstation.
    • Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge

      By macoman · Posted

      I will keep my current devices for several years... no planning in upgrading until these devices stop working. Too pricey.
    • Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge

      By Karthik Mudaliar · Posted

      Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge by Karthik Mudaliar Apple has raised the U.S. prices of several MacBook and iPad models, including the MacBook Neo, which it launched for $599 less than four months ago. The company’s cheapest laptop now starts at $699, while some MacBook Pro configurations have increased by $300. The changes affect the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Apple has not changed the hardware or storage included with these models, so customers are simply paying more for the same configurations. Here is how the new US pricing compares with the previous starting prices: Product Previous price New price Increase MacBook Neo $599 $699 $100 13-inch MacBook Air, 512GB $1,099 $1,299 $200 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB $1,699 $1,999 $300 16-inch MacBook Pro $2,699 $2,999 $300 11-inch iPad Air, 128GB $599 $749 $150 13-inch iPad Air, 128GB $799 $949 $150 11-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $999 $1,199 $200 13-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $1,299 $1,499 $200 The updated prices are already appearing on Apple’s U.S. online store. The MacBook Neo increase will probably attract the most attention. Apple introduced the laptop in March for $599, pitching it as a more affordable Mac for students and buyers considering Windows laptops or Chromebooks. It uses an A18 Pro processor and originally undercut Dell’s new $699 XPS 13 by $100. Following the increase, the two laptops now have the same starting price. The M5 MacBook Air has also lost the price Apple promoted when it launched in March. The 13-inch model arrived with 512GB of storage for $1,099, while Apple’s store now lists the MacBook Air range as starting at $1,299. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip and 1TB of storage has gone from $1,699 to $1,999. Apple has made similar changes to its iPads. The recently released M4 iPad Air, which launched at the same $599 starting price as its predecessor, now starts at $749 for the 11-inch version. The 13-inch version has risen from $799 to $949. The iPad Pro increases are larger in dollar terms. Apple’s 11-inch M5 iPad Pro now starts at $1,199, up from $999, while the 13-inch version has moved from $1,299 to $1,499. Both base models still include 256GB of storage. Apple blamed the increases on the rapidly rising cost of DRAM and NAND flash, which provide system memory and device storage. The company told Reuters that it had tried to shield customers from the increases but could no longer absorb them. “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” Apple said. Tim Cook had already warned that price increases were coming. Cook said Apple’s existing component inventory had softened the immediate impact, but that higher memory costs would increasingly affect the company after the June quarter. Much of the pressure comes from the construction of AI data centers. Memory manufacturers are directing more production toward high-margin server products, leaving PC, tablet, and smartphone makers competing for the remaining supply. Apple has not said whether the new prices are temporary or whether further increases are planned. For now, the changes show that even Apple’s purchasing power has not been enough to keep the AI-driven memory shortage away from consumer devices.
    • Ventoy 1.1.16

      By Copernic · Posted

      Ventoy 1.1.16 is out.
    • This Chinese company is reportedly developing a feature Apple and Samsung can only dream of

      By Mateus · Posted

      This is a none story - these low volume Chinese models will always get new experimental features first because Apple and Samsung can't produce them in huge volume to meet demand.

  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      461
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      171
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      135
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      77
    5. 5
      Xenon
      77
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!