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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 Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday August 05 2020, @02:47PM (11 children)
I have a hunch that you get more bang per ton if you specifically set stuff up to maximize the explosion - as oppose to a loose pile of powder that goes off by accident.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday August 05 2020, @02:53PM (5 children)
Naturally, which is why I said he made a bomb. That said I'm not sure if it has been noted yet in what form it was stored. It could have just been in a big pile I guess but more likely perhaps is that it was in those thick paper sacks or metal/plastic drums. I'm not sure a pile just one the ground would be around for the amount of time involved. When it exploded tho it clearly went in all directions so it wasn't properly shaped or directed.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 05 2020, @04:57PM
The picture of a welder in the Beirut warehouse has 2000 pound cloth totes in the background. Sometimes, those totes are made of cotton, canvas, or duck, other times, they are made of a ripstop nylon fabric. I've never handled the stuff in bulk but I've handed other materials in those totes. Sometimes, but not always, these totes are set on to pallets. If moisture is a concern, pallets are used, otherwise the totes are set directly onto the floor.
OK, I scrolled back up to the link supplied by looorg above. Apparently, they've "updated" that link, without the photo that I'm referring to.
TBH, however, the photo did not specifically say that the explosive material was stored in those totes visible in the background.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 05 2020, @05:04PM
This is the photo I was looking for - https://twitter.com/AhA47024592/status/1290984736190537729 [twitter.com]
You can see the totes stacked two high behind the workers in the left photo. Contents label says NITROPRILL HD, white block letters on red.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 05 2020, @05:20PM (2 children)
More and better details here - https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/08/beirut-blast-wrap-up.html?cid=6a00d8341c640e53ef0264e2eca7f4200d [moonofalabama.org]
(Score: 2) by corey on Thursday August 06 2020, @04:16AM (1 child)
Talking about Orica, they have a store of 4x the Beirut amount near residents in Newcastle, NSW:
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-05/beirut-blast-raises-concern-about-newcastle-ammonium-nitrate/12527546 [abc.net.au]
I've been there a dozen times, it's not that close to residents but I'd want it gone too, after what just happened...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 06 2020, @11:36AM
As a maintenance man, I have a smartass saying for people when I finish a job. "It'll work until it doesn't." Well, Orica's plant will be perfectly safe, until it isn't. Beirut was safe, until it wasn't.
Stuff happens!!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday August 05 2020, @03:09PM (4 children)
OTOH, maybe the 2.7 kilotons of ammonium nitrate wasn't the only explosive material in that warehouse, which could support higher estimates that have been mentioned, like 2.2 kilotons [ctvnews.ca] or 3 kilotons of TNT.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 06 2020, @08:47AM (3 children)
Not an expert, but compared with the footage from china, the beirut explosion seems far more dynamic. I've seen in smaller scale that kind of explosions with military grade explosive. If you are used to fireworks pops and hear a military explosive going off you notice the latter is more dynamic, no matter the intensity.
Storing explosive near fireworks seems a particularly stupid idea in terms of security, OTOH if you need to hide the explosive, it's a pretty good place.
Storing fireworks in a urban area seems a particularly stupid idea in terms of security, OTOH if you intend to use the civilians as human shields against a missile strike it's a pretty good place (this consideration brought to you by the sociopathic branch of my AI, took years to consider meatbags capable of this shit but it helps a lot in rationalizing stuff)
Finally, given the political and international situation in Lebanon there is a nice list of malicious candidates other than the incompetence route. Arab spring continues? Manufactured crisis by the incumbent? Israeli op? Some other neighbour state op?
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday August 06 2020, @08:51AM (1 child)
oops login failed, parent post was me.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday August 06 2020, @12:22PM
Tianjin and Beirut are looking extremely similar in at least one way. There was a smaller but still large explosion about 30 seconds prior to the gigantic explosion.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Friday August 07 2020, @05:28AM
Oh God, it's only been a few hours and already the conspiracy theories are springing up. "It doesn't look right to me so it was obviously Iran/ISIS/Syria/Russia/BLM/the Democrats". Yup, of the hundreds of 2,700 ton ammonium nitrate explosions I've personally witnessed, this one definitely doesn't look right so it has to be something else.