This explosion is a true disaster. 2750 TONS of ammonium nitrate were being stored in their port for *6 years* after having been seized. WHY was something with such a potential for explosion left in an unsecured warehouse for 6 years? In addition to killing 100 people, it has caused billions in damage and more importantly destroyed the country's primary storage facility of grain, meaning without imports there won't be enough to feed their people for more than a month. Beruit's mayor says that up to 300,000 people will be homeless from this. Beruit is also struggling with a covid outbreak and was in a bad way economically prior to this.

It's like a perfect storm of destruction and despair, and prior grievances aside, I'll pray for their recovery.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-53664184

 

Yeah, this doesn't look like terrorism at this point, just a terrible "accident".

 

Here's a slow-motion video of the explosion. From the first vantage point you can clearly see there was a fire burning probably in the other warehouse containing fireworks, and then this massive blast.

 

Here's satellite images of the before and after. All those surrounding buildings are just - gone. And the A-bomb comparison is apt. The force of this explosion has been estimated to have been equivalent to 2.2 kilotons of TNT, and Little Boy dropped at Hiroshima was estimated at 15 kilotons of TNT.

 

I agree, the explosion was big enough to blow a 100 yard deep hole in the ground. when I saw they were just moved over, I couldn't believe it. There was a third ship that was thrown up on to the land, and since those weren't, they must be really big, heavy ships!