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Massive Explosion in Beirut (1 Viewer)

Did not read past the headlines, but it's reported that there was fire in a fireworks warehouse.

Makes me wonder where fireworks are warehoused in the US.  Stating the obvious, it's a very bad idea to put them in population centers of any size.  That's why god made deserts.

 
Mister CIA said:
Did not read past the headlines, but it's reported that there was fire in a fireworks warehouse.

Makes me wonder where fireworks are warehoused in the US.  Stating the obvious, it's a very bad idea to put them in population centers of any size.  That's why god made deserts.
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That may have been where things started...the fire initially being filmed?  But I would have a hard time believing that main blast was a fireworks warehouse.

 
Galileo said:
That may have been where things started...the fire initially being filmed?  But I would have a hard time believing that main blast was a fireworks warehouse.
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same.

and hfs.

reminds me of that thing in... china? from a few years ago... recorded by an american from a high floor of his apt building.

 
good lord... I hope that second videographer is ok. the very end looked like shattered glass and rubble

 
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A huge explosion near the centre of Beirut killed at least 10 people and sent shockwaves across the Lebanese capital, shattering glass in people’s homes and causing apartment balconies to collapse, witnesses and security sources said.

People run for cover following an explosion in Beirut's port area, Lebanon August 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The blast occurred in the city’s port area, where there were warehouses housing explosives, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA and two security sources said. A third security source said there were chemcials stored in the area.

Footage of the blast shared around by residents on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the port district followed by an enormous blast. Those who filming what initially appeared to be a big blaze where thrown backwards by the shock.

At least 10 people killed in Beirut explosion, say Lebanese security and medical sources

Lebanon's health minister says many injuries and large damage from Beirut blast: LBC TV

At least 10 bodies were taken to hospitals, a security source and a medical source told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze that set off the blast or what kind of explosives were in the warehouses. The governor of Beirut port told Sky News that a team of firefighters at the scene had “disappeared” after the explosion.

“I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street,” said a Reuters witness.

The health minister told Reuters there was a “very high number” of injured. Al Mayadeen TV said hundreds were wounded.

Another Reuters witness said she saw heavy grey smoke near the port area and then heard an explosion and saw flames of fire and black smoke: “All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos.”

U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters it was not immediately clear what the cause was, and that there was no indication of any injuries to any U.N. personnel.

“We do not have information about what has happened precisely, what has caused this, whether it’s accidental or manmade act,” he said.

The U.S. Pentagon said: “We are aware of the explosion and are concerned for the potential loss of life due to such a massive explosion.”

In Cyprus, an island lying west of Lebanon, residents reported two large bangs in quick succession. One resident of the capital Nicosia said his house shook, rattling shutters.
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Jaysus said:
From AP journalist:

"Head of General Security says the blast was caused by a fire in a depot of highly explosive material, including Sodium nitrate, at Beirut's port. He said that material was confiscated from a ship months ago and stored there."

https://twitter.com/dalalmawad/status/1290695023030394880
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That sounds like an action movie plot.  Bad guys want to set off a bomb on a certain date to assasinate someone but the area will be locked down.  They find out that the port stores all confiscated material in a warehouse so they purposely get "caught" trying to smuggle in a shipment of sodium nitrate.  They then kidnap the daughter of a worker in the fireworks plant and tell him he has to start a fire in the northwest corner of the plant on a certain day or the kid dies.

 
Whoa.  I saw this on a friend's FB feed and was shocked when the big explosion hit.  Whoa again.

 
shadyridr said:
At least 25 dead, thousands injured
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yeah... and more expected. was just coming to post this:

Lebanese Health Minister Hassan Hamad says at least 25 people have been killed and more than 2,500 are wounded in a massive explosion at the port in Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

The explosion released a shockwave causing widespread damage to buildings and shattering windows in different parts of the city.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Here are the latest updates:

19:22 GMT - Explosion destroys Italian civilian ship

At the port Al Jazeera's Timour Azhari spoke to Vincenco Orlandini, 69, a crew member of an Italian civilian ship, the Orient Queen, that was docked near the blast site.

He was covered in blood after the explosion threw him across a room of his ship, while several people on board were wounded and taken to hospital, Azhari said.

"I heard the blast and I flew to the opposite [side] of the lobby. I landed on the carpet and I'm lucky; I think that saved me. The ship is totally destroyed - the cabins, the lounge, everything," Orlandini said.

A civil defense worker who has worked in the sector for 20 years was in disbelief at the scale of the damage.

"I've seen the assasinations and the explosions but this is something else. There is something wrong here," he told Al Jazeera.

19:13 GMT - Israel: No reason not to believe Beirut blast was an accident

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi says the massive explosion in Beirut "was an accident caused by a
fire. I suggest caution with speculation - I do not see any reason not to believe the reports from Beirut".

He made the comments to Israel's Channel 12.

19:07 GMT - UK PM Johnson offers support to Beirut

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is ready to provide any support it could to help Beirut.

"The pictures and videos from Beirut tonight are shocking," Johnson wrote on Twitter. "All of my thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in this terrible incident.

"The UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected."

18:53 GMT - More than 25 people dead, 2,500 wounded: health minister

Lebanese Health Minister Hassan Hamad says more than 25 people have been killed and more than 2,500 are wounded.

"It is a disaster in every sense of the word," Hamad said in an interview with several television channels while visiting a hospital in the Lebanese capital.

18:50 GMT - Iran ready to help Lebanon, Zarif tweets

Iran is ready to help Lebanon in any way necessary, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has tweeted.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the great and resilient people of Lebanon. As always, Iran is fully prepared to render assistance in any way necessary. Stay strong, Lebanon," Zarif tweeted.

18:48 GMT - More than 2,200 injured: Lebanese Red Cross

The Lebanese Red Cross says that more than 2,200 people have been injured and that the numbers are likely to rise, local broadcasters have reported.

Lebanese army soldiers are seen while a helicopter puts out a fire at the scene of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut [STR/AFP]

18:34 GMT - Secretary General of Lebanese Kataeb Party among the dead

Among the dead is the Secretary General of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, the party has announced.

The headquarters of the Kataeb Party, one of the oldest parties in the country, is located right next to the port.

18:31 GMT - Some 400 - 500 people wounded: hospital sources

Local television quoted hospital sources as saying some 400 to 500 people have been wounded, and that all of the hospitals in the capital are overwhelmed as people are brought in.

18:20 GMT - Dozens of people being turned away from hospital

Dozens of people are trying to enter a hospital in Beirut and are being turned away, Al Jazeera's Timour Azhari said.

"People are discussing about which hospital they can get to across the city. This hospital, the Hotel-Dieu hospital has formally announced that people should stop coming here."

"There are corridors lined with wounded, bloody people," Azhari said.

"There are people crying. The hospital itself has sustained damage; its ceiling looks very precarious, it looks like it's going to fall apart."

[Alia Chughtai/Al Jazeera]

18:17 GMT - PM calls for day of mourning on Wednesday

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has called for an emergency meeting of the country's Supreme Defence Council, according to the presidency's Twitter account.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for a day of mourning on Wednesday.

18:08 GMT - Ammonium nitrate stored in the port: Interior Minister

The Lebanese Interior Minister has said that ammonium nitrate was stored in the port, which is what caused the explosion, local media reported.

He said Lebanese customs should be asked about why it was there.

Lebanon-based broadcaster Mayadeen cited the country's customs director saying tonnes of nitrate exploded.

17:51 GMT - In Pictures: Lebanon's capital Beirut shaken by massive explosion

A massive explosion has rocked Lebanon's capital, Beirut, causing many casualties, damaging buildings and shattering windows.

The blast, which flattened much of the capital's port, was felt across the city as a giant mushroom cloud rose above it.

17:38 GMT - 'Cars were thrown three floors up onto roofs of factories': Al Jazeera correspondent

Al Jazeera's Timour Azhari reaching the Beirut port shortly after the explosion, said the site looks like a "wasteland" with debris seen everywhere.

"Cars [from the ground] were thrown three floors up onto roofs of factories here," Azhari said.

"Rescue services have not been able to reach the actual site of the explosion yet because fires are still raging. Helicopters are circling the area trying to extinguish the fire.

"It really was an incredible explosion. People here are saying that they have never seen anything like it.
Even on the way here the roads were covered in glass," Azhari said.

17:27 GMT - Explosion 'caused by highly explosive material stored in warehouse': Official

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reporting from Beirut said the head of General Security, General Abbas Ibrahim, visited the site of the explosion and said it appears the explosion was caused by highly explosive material that was stored in a warehouse.

According to Ibrahim, the explosive material was confiscated years ago.

"We are at the entrance of Beirut's port, you can see behind me the chaos. Ambulances continue to arrive, continue to evacuate the casualties," Khodr said.

"So far according to security sources, at least 10 people have been killed, but we are expecting that number to rise because we understand from the health minister as well as the Lebanese Red Cross that there has been hundreds of injuries.

"Ambulances have been called from across the country to help in the rescue effort. It was a massive explosion; you can see the fire trucks arriving at the scene trying to put out the flame."

17:25 GMT - Newsfeed: Large explosion rocks Lebanon's capital

Large explosion rocks Lebanon's capital

17:22 GMT - Israel not involved in Beirut explosion, Israeli official says

Israel has nothing to do with a huge explosion at the Beirut port area, an Israeli official has said.

"Israel has nothing to do with the incident," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told Israeli N12 television news that the explosion was most likely an accident caused by a fire.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
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A buddy of mine is from Beirut, Lebanon but has lived here for a long time. His brother still lives there and was close to the blast at a restaurant. 

He claims most folks on the patio of the restaurant he was dining at were killed. Good day to be eating inside :eek:  

His brother is okay overall but his hearing is ####ed 

 
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beer 30 said:
Better view IMHO

Not sure that's a shockwave so much as water vapor getting sucked up. Don't know and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so willing to learn.
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This is obviously a horrific and tragic event, but this video is very interesting.  If you pause the video around the 8/9 sec mark, you can clearly "see" the leading edge of the shockwave.  There is a band around the condensation cloud of very high pressure air.  The density is greater than the surrounding air and thus refracts the light differently allowing us to "see" the high pressure region.  Just behind the shell of high pressure is a low pressure region.  This is where the moisture condenses out of the air forming the cloud we see.  As the shockwave spreads and the vapor cloud spreads, we see clear air space again where the pressure is more normalized.  All very similar to the effect you may have seen before associated with high speed aircraft.

The explosion begins around the 6 s mark in the video.  We very clearly hear the shockwave of high pressure arrive at the car where the video is being taken at about the 11 s mark.  The shock wave should travel through the air at about the speed of sound, roughly 340 m/s.  So that puts the camera man about 1700 m away from the blast just a touch over a mile away.

 
Galileo said:
This is obviously a horrific and tragic event, but this video is very interesting.  If you pause the video around the 8/9 sec mark, you can clearly "see" the leading edge of the shockwave.  There is a band around the condensation cloud of very high pressure air.  The density is greater than the surrounding air and thus refracts the light differently allowing us to "see" the high pressure region.  Just behind the shell of high pressure is a low pressure region.  This is where the moisture condenses out of the air forming the cloud we see.  As the shockwave spreads and the vapor cloud spreads, we see clear air space again where the pressure is more normalized.  All very similar to the effect you may have seen before associated with high speed aircraft.

The explosion begins around the 6 s mark in the video.  We very clearly hear the shockwave of high pressure arrive at the car where the video is being taken at about the 11 s mark.  The shock wave should travel through the air at about the speed of sound, roughly 340 m/s.  So that puts the camera man about 1700 m away from the blast just a touch over a mile away.
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I was just getting ready to post this. 

 
[icon] said:
A buddy of mine is from Beirut, Lebanon but has lived here for a long time. His brother still lives there and was close to the blast at a restaurant. 

He claims most folks on the patio of the restaurant he was dining at were killed. Good day to be eating inside :eek:  

His brother is okay overall but his hearing is ####ed 
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Whoa.

Couldn't imagine. 

 
Reportedly 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate.  For reference Timothy McVeigh used 2 tons in OK City.

A lot of estimates in the 1-2 kiloton range for the explosion.  The footage of the city around the port is heartbreaking.

 
Years ago I used to be in the remodeling game. We were rehabbing a house, and the house next door had a dude living there that was suspected of running a meth lab out of the home.  

Anyway, one evening the guy just went nuts and took a chainsaw to a gas can in his basement. Blew the entire house up and the whole thing collapsed on itself. The blast was so strong it pushed the outside wall of the house we were working on about 3".

The scary part was myself and another working were working on that very side that afternoon painting, installing windows, etc.  Two hours earlier and I wouldn't be sitting here.

Amazingly the guy walked away, albeit with some permanent scarring. His 5 year old son was also in the house and by the grace of God was ok with little to no burns on his body. Will never forget that. 

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Reportedly 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate.  For reference Timothy McVeigh used 2 tons in OK City.

A lot of estimates in the 1-2 kiloton range for the explosion.  The footage of the city around the port is heartbreaking.
Click to expand...
Hiroshima was 15Kt. :unsure:  

 
Galileo said:
This is obviously a horrific and tragic event, but this video is very interesting.  If you pause the video around the 8/9 sec mark, you can clearly "see" the leading edge of the shockwave.  There is a band around the condensation cloud of very high pressure air.  The density is greater than the surrounding air and thus refracts the light differently allowing us to "see" the high pressure region.  Just behind the shell of high pressure is a low pressure region.  This is where the moisture condenses out of the air forming the cloud we see.  As the shockwave spreads and the vapor cloud spreads, we see clear air space again where the pressure is more normalized.  All very similar to the effect you may have seen before associated with high speed aircraft.

The explosion begins around the 6 s mark in the video.  We very clearly hear the shockwave of high pressure arrive at the car where the video is being taken at about the 11 s mark.  The shock wave should travel through the air at about the speed of sound, roughly 340 m/s.  So that puts the camera man about 1700 m away from the blast just a touch over a mile away.
Click to expand...
you can see it on the water pretty clearly

 
The General said:
If I heard correctly the President just said he was told by his military advisors that this wasn’t an accident.
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From the WSJ:

The warehouse held highly explosive material, said an official with Lebanon’s army who added that the blast was likely caused by a fire and wasn’t an attack. President Trump, however, on Tuesday evening called it a “terrible attack” and said U.S. military leaders believe the explosion was caused by “a bomb of some kind.”
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