Beirut

[EggBoxes]

Holy shit. Just seeing this now on Twitter.

It's awful!

Picture of the grain elevator in Beruit after the explosion. It certainly looks like its close to the centre of the devastation and is badly damaged.

Latest news here weapons and explosives were stocked there.

I was wondering if it was a gas explosion.....

Sodium nitrate is an accelerator isn't it, rather than an actual explosive (I'm no chemist) it's a chemical that could be involved in an explosion though I think. Certainly plausible it's a warehouse or warehouses looking at the location containing who knows what.

The scenes are awful. Many CCTV ones on Twitter.

Iflyaway
“I was in Beirut in the 70's. It was known as the Paris of the Middle East. Girls walking around in hotpants and very liberal. Oh, how things change....”

Rest assured, woman absolutely still walk around Beirut in hotpants as they did back in the day.

I’m hoping it’s a tragic accident rather than an Israeli strike.

????

No one has suggested it was a nuke?!

Isn't massive explosion bad enough. A nuke would have, well. Certain obvious indicators.

That's truly shocking, never seen anything like it (bar images of a nuclear explosion). Must be fuel/chemical of some sort to go up like that? Those poor people😪

Two tweets 30 mins apart

Reuters @Reuters
JUST IN: Lebanon's internal security chief tells reporters the blast was in a port area with highly explosive material, not explosives

Reuters @Reuters
Lebanon's interior minister says initial information indicates highly explosive material seized years ago blew up, though the cause of explosion won't be determined until an investigation is complete

It could well be a mix of components leading to a chain reaction.

@StormzyinaTCup

That's truly shocking, never seen anything like it (bar images of a nuclear explosion). Must be fuel/chemical of some sort to go up like that? Those poor people😪

No. A dust explosion would do it. Wheat starch is more explosive than dynamite and approaches the strength of a nuclear explosion. A video about dust explosions from 1980.

I know Lebanon very well, I’m Lebanese and even the people are unsure of how this happened. I think it is likely an accident but the tensions rising at the border with Hezbollah and Israel to help to bolster a lot of ‘who caused this?’ questions

Lebanon is struggling; the economy is rock bottom- people couldn’t even withdraw $50 as the banks effectively ‘shut’. Hyperinflation, people committing suicide in the streets; it’s dire.

Lebanon is stunning and could be such a tourist draw but the 11 different sects and its politically volatile neighbours just cannot let this country be the beauty it is.

That was not fire works, you can see the sonic element in the explosion.

My theory is it was a weapons cache explosion or a strike on a weapons cache.

Reminds me of the MOAB bunker busting bomb that goes many stories below ground.

How are people expected to vote in this AIBU?

FFS it makes Mumsnet look the dumbest of the dumb sometimes.

Re Nitrates - I've mentioned this largely forgotten accident in another thread but it's perhaps worth repeating here..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse_chemical_factory_explosion

There are still to this day arguments going on about the ignition source..

TV footage here - warning that some of it is nasty..

This is ever so sad, thoughts and prayers to those affected. Lebanon is a beautiful country.

I’ve never seen anything like it. Terrible explosion.

My thoughts go out to the hundreds if not thousands of people who would have been killed or injured

Absolutely devastating.

How are people expected to vote in this AIBU? FFS it makes Mumsnet look the dumbest of the dumb sometimes.

They aren’t, are they? They are the default, and I was preoccupied when I posted. I can’t understand why anyone would vote.

I suspect it's highly unlikely an accident, the next 24 hours will tell!

Yes, the government have been quick with the fireworks story which is blatantly not true.

How can you possibly know this? Are you in Beirut?

@PercyKirke it's not true..... give it 24 hours! You don't need to be in Beirut to know it's not true.

Absolutely shocking.

How can you possibly know this? Are you in Beirut?

I don't need to be in Beirut to know that fireworks are a quick rather than powerful explosive

So more information out today re. grain silos and ammonium nitrate.

Still can't believe the devastation or the effects of living through that. Those poor people.