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The Unconscionable Tragedy in Beirut (Original Post) rsacamano Aug 2020 OP
2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate Aussie105 Aug 2020 #1
Heartbreak for Our Family McKim Aug 2020 #2

Aussie105

(5,211 posts)
1. 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate
Fri Aug 7, 2020, 08:34 AM
Aug 2020

stored in a port next to a large city for 6 years.

What could possibly go wrong?

Quick Google:
"At high enough temperatures, however, ammonium nitrate can violently decompose on its own. This process creates gases including nitrogen oxides and water vapour. It is this rapid release of gases that causes an explosion. Ammonium nitrate decomposition can be set off if an explosion occurs where it’s stored, if there is an intense fire nearby."

In the video, you can see a huge bubble of white vapour spreading rapidly, I'm assuming that is water vapour.

It's the shock wave that does the damage.

I wonder if other places store this chemical in large amounts near built up areas? (Answer = yes.)


Also from Google:

To put the destructive power of that amount of the chemical into perspective, it was 2200kg of ammonium nitrate Oklahoma City truck bomber Timothy McVeigh used with deadly intent in 1995. The Beirut pile of the chemical was more than a thousand times larger than McVeigh’s bomb.

Damage done by McVeigh's bomb:

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/long-before-the-oklahoma-city-bombing-timothy-mcveigh-sent-a-warning-1.625884/mcveigh-2-1.625885

McKim

(2,412 posts)
2. Heartbreak for Our Family
Fri Aug 7, 2020, 11:37 AM
Aug 2020

This is heartbreak for our family. My husband went to American Community School of Beirut and we have visited a few times in the last decade. We love it there and our dream was to rent an apartment and stay for a few months. Americans have been active there in good ways in the past founding the American University of Beirut and the American Community School of Beirut long ago before all the wars of choice that have made a mess of the Middle East. I hope Americans will Help rebuild Beirut. The Lebanese people rebuilt Beirut after the internal/external wars as a tribute to human hope. We must not let them down!!!!!

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