SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Ammonium nitrate: what is the chemical blamed for blast in Lebanese capital?
The likely cause of the huge blast in Beirut on Tuesday appears to have been the highly reactive chemical ammonium nitrate.
Lebanon's prime minister, Hassan Diab, said 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded after lying unsecured in a warehouse for six years, tallying with reports that a ship carrying a similar quantity of the chemical had unloaded its cargo at the port in 2013. It remains unclear what caused the chemical to ignite.
AFP is quoting the governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, as saying the damage from the port blast has extended over half of the city, with the cost of damage likely above $3bn.
He has also upped his previous estimate of the number of "homeless" to 300,000, which is close to the total population of the central part of the capital. Again, we are not sure if he is talking about homelessness or people whose homes have been damaged.
As Death Toll Rises After Deadly Blast, a Search for Answers and Survivors: Live Updates
As Death Toll Rises After Deadly Blast, a Search for Answers and Survivors: Live Updates:
- Search is on for survivors after blast kills more than 100.
- Some 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes. But amid the devastation, stories of heroism.
- The science behind the blast: Why fertilizer packs a punch.
- Even as hospitals were destroyed and staffers killed, doctors and nurses raced to help.
- I was bloodied and dazed. Beirut strangers treated me like a friend.
- In maps: A two-mile radius around the blast was flattened.
- Beirut's landmark downtown is in shambles. Again.
(Score: 2) by leon_the_cat on Wednesday August 05 2020, @01:53PM (2 children)
I don't get why they didn't just blow up the ship.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday August 05 2020, @02:00PM (1 child)
Why do that when it have actual value. They could have just done anything with it really. It's not like it's a worthless product.
Apparently the officials knew about it, was worried about it, wanted to do something about it for the last six years or so. But nothing happened. It just stayed there for some reason. One would think that with the rampant corruption that someone would have wanted to steal it, or sell it or just do something with it. Customs officials had for the last six years apparently tried to get rid of it but whomever was above them in the hierarchy just couldn't be bothered, or wasn't getting their taste of the action or some such reason.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/officials-knew-danger-beirut-port-years-200805032416684.html [aljazeera.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 05 2020, @03:38PM
On the plus side, plants should grow really well down by the port now.