Did you see that explosion in Beirut ?

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by Noah930

I don't understand the fireworks comments. I see what look to be fireworks-type explosions in the seconds leading up to the big kaboom. But certainly they're not really fireworks. Is that some sort of preceding combustion of other explosively flammable materials in the same building? There's no way someone really stores super flammable stuff, like gunpowder or fireworks in the same warehouse full of ammonium nitrate, right?

You'd think so, but no: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/07/beirut-explosion-former-port-worker-says-fireworks-stored-in-hangar

[URY914]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Don't know about bay-root, but around these parts we use cranes at the docks to offload stuff from ships.
Lots of em. Big ones.

If you look at the before pictures they seem to be lined up side-by-side around the warehouse. Maybe this is where they park them but seemed add. Maybe it's nothing but I found it curious.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by masraum

And this video is one that I believe pretty clearly shows that there were fireworks involved. They weren't what caused the main explosion, though, clearly.

i've been told that the way AN burns, can make it look like fireworks going off

[craigster59]

This is a link I posted in PPOTPR explosion thread. This guy thinks it was purposely done to get rid of Iranian missiles and warheads being stored in a public area and done with deflagration to reduce collateral damage.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1290748019218853890.html

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

^Here's what you do. This video plays the blast in super slo motion around 1:30/ then 2:04. Now go to youtube and put THAT into 0.25 speed and watch it. Turn down the sound. Probably the most detailed video so far. It slows down the frames enough to study each building as it gets hit.

On second though, never mind. I counted three people on the back balconies looking over the edge as the blast hit. Edit- at least five. Everyone was coming out to see what was going on and couldn't see anything. Sickening.

Are we thinking that the people on the balconies on the leeward side of the buildings got blown off by at the blast moving through the windows?

[pavulon]

Stuff like this happens when people without common sense and/or desency are left to do whatever is easiest and cheapest.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Are we thinking that the people on the balconies on the leeward side of the buildings got blown off by at the blast moving through the windows?

Hard to tell. I saw at least 3 or four people, and one family go running back inside at last second. Looks like father ran back out as blast hit.

Another person is on the deck on the black building on the right (the finished one close to us, not the tall one being built) is outside, but goes back in. In the middle foreground is a small white building, which someone opens a shutter on the top floor left window right before the blast hits. It's hard to tell if they get blown out, or it it's just debri. It looks like a body falling, but then gets blown to the left, more like a drape or something.

The way to see people is too watch the video in regular motion prior to the blast and you can see random people moving about. Also very clear with the cars in the distance/ close to the blast. You almost have to choose a building to focus on, and then you can see them. Once you know where they are, you know where to look in slow motion as the blast hits.

[Laneco]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Very informative and interesting article with excellent visuals:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/x2iutcqf1g/beirut-blast

This was quite good. Nice explanation as to how the AN got stored there with the seizure of the cargo vessel.

So my question is...how many other potentially very dangerous materials are in seizure around the world? Just sitting and waiting in a warehouse....

angela

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Laneco

So my question is...how many other potentially very dangerous materials are in seizure around the world? Just sitting and waiting in a warehouse....

angela

Do you really want to know?

[svandamme]

so for a 100k in unpayed bills
they took in the biggest bomb they would ever suffer in Beirut (and that's not a light statement).

Guess in this case, they should have given them 100K on top and sent them on their way

[GH85Carrera]

Just so much stupidity on display with all those in charge. That storage space was expensive just to fill up with someone else's stuff.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Just so much stupidity on display with all those in charge. That storage space was expensive just to fill up with someone else's stuff.

I agree. High rent storage and they store it right there and no one is paying for it.

[Bigtoe32067]

I’m surprised there weren’t a lot more casualties with that explosion. I said a prayer for the families of the casualties.
Tony

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Too many concussive shock waves to the body will prompt PTSD @ a later time.

lots of veterans are suffering because of this

[Rinty]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Very informative and interesting article with excellent visuals:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/x2iutcqf1g/beirut-blast

Great article; thanks.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Hard to tell. I saw at least 3 or four people, and one family go running back inside at last second. Looks like father ran back out as blast hit.

There are 3-4 folks in the red square. There's one right above the red line and at the last second as the blast envelops their building, there's another coming up to them from our left.



I hope they are OK (seems possible). I can't imagine how scary that would be. I guess the bright side is that it would happen so fast you wouldn't know what was going on.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 3rd_gear_Ted

Too many concussive shock waves to the body will prompt PTSD @ a later time.

lots of veterans are suffering because of this

Shell-shock.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by masraum

There are 3-4 folks in the red square. There's one right above the red line and at the last second as the blast envelops their building, there's another coming up to them from our left.



I hope they are OK (seems possible). I can't imagine how scary that would be. I guess the bright side is that it would happen so fast you wouldn't know what was going on.

YEAH=that's who I was talking about. On the right of your red square appeared to be a family who mostly went in, but one guy (dad?), who end up about where your line seems to point at, seemed to come back out at the last second. Seems like as the noise increased, mom said "eff' this- everyone in", except for dad or a teenager or someone.

On the left of your square, there seemed to be one or two people that came out. The awning flapped on that side a lot. It was hard to tell.

The white building window is on the lower left of your screen shot. Someone was in that left window that is on the edge of your screen shot. To the left of that in the next building over, someone was on a deck.

I watched for people in the glass enclosure the floor above what you outlined, but didn't see anyone.

In the building to the left of the little white building on the lower left of your screen shot, someone walks out of the penthouse door at the last second, says "screw this" and goes inside, right as the blast occurs, only to have the door get blown out a second later.

I wish there was a way to get their names/stories to make sure they are ok, or at least semi ok.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

amazing that many more people weren't hurt.

[masraum]

Frankly, they were very, very lucky that the death toll wasn't higher.
per wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Beirut_explosion

The second explosion was extremely powerful, and caused at least 177 deaths, 6,000 injuries, and US$10–15 billion in property damage, leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless.