I keep on thinking of the reporter's cry of anguish when the Hindenberg went down, "Oh the humanity." "Yes, oh the humanity."
__________________________
August 05, 2020, 09:47 AM
jhe888
If it was 2400 tons of ammonium nitrate, that is about the amount that exploded on the vessel Grandcamp in 1947 at Texas City, which then ignited another shipload of ammonium nitrate which also exploded. The photos of Beirut and Texas City look similar. The Texas city explosion threw a ship's propeller 1.6 kilometers.
The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything.
August 05, 2020, 09:51 AM
flesheatingvirus
quote:
Originally posted by sdy: related to above photo link by tacfoley:
If this is all true, WTF?? That much explosive grade AN in a (likely) unsecured warehouse. Hell of a security risk, as well as the now obvious safety risk.
________________________________________
-- Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. --
August 05, 2020, 10:00 AM
corsair
quote:
Originally posted by tacfoley: Watch on Al Jazeera how a Lebanese politician answers a direct question with snake-oil salesman skills -
Asked, 'whose is it'? Answer? Well YOU decide it he actually answers at all.
That guy hit all the political buzzwords during a crises: corruption, crimes against humanity, mass murder... Surprised he just didn't go to the 'someone, knows something'
Their civil war back in the 70-80's really screwed them up, its now endless bickering, overly idiosyncratic vagaries and a culture of passing the buck.
August 05, 2020, 10:32 AM
monoblok
Sounds like a bunch of bureaucratic bungling to me, only with catastrophic effects years later. Since that ammonium nitrate has been sitting in that warehouse for six years, it would seem that was apparently forgotten about or simply ignored. Out of Sight, Out of Mind Syndrome. It also seems that the authorities who impounded the AN weren't particularly knowledgeable about how dangerous the stuff is else they would've carted that material away from the city and populated areas, or hauled it out to sea and disposed of it. The Med is right there on their doorstep, after all.
I read one article that insinuated that the Lebanese authorities in 2014/15 were looking for someone to bill for the handling and ultimate removal (which of course never happened) of the AN and the freighter that was hauling this cargo. I would surmise that like so many humans with too many other things to worry about, that since they couldn't get anyone to pony up for tab, they just left the situation for someone else down the road to figure out. A cascade of human errors and bad judgments.
-MG
August 05, 2020, 11:07 AM
corsair
quote:
Originally posted by BansheeOne: There is a crater allright. Seems the blast blew away the pier and opened it to the sea.
The Lebanese government says it is putting an unspecified number of Beirut port officials under house arrest pending an investigation into how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate came to be stored at the port for years.
The move comes amid speculation that negligence was to blame for the explosion that killed more than 100 people.
It was announced following a Cabinet meeting Wednesday during which the government declared a two-week “state of emergency,” effectively giving the military full powers during this time.
xxxxxxxxxxx
The storage began six years ago, after offloading the material from an “ailing” Russian-owned cargo ship, the New York Times reports this morning. However, the general manager of the Beirut port told a local news station that they have repeatedly petitioned to have the ammonium nitrate removed from the dock. It’s the government that failed to act, Hassan Koraytem insisted:
Lebanese customs officials wrote letters to the courts at least six times from 2014 to 2017, seeking guidance on how to dispose of the highly combustible material, according to public records cited by a Lebanese lawmaker, Salim Aoun.
Solutions proposed by the officials included exporting the ammonium nitrate from Lebanon or donating it to the Lebanese Army. But the judiciary failed to respond to the letters, the records suggested.
The general manager of Beirut port, Hassan Koraytem, appeared to confirm that account on Wednesday in an interview with OTV, a local broadcaster. Despite numerous requests to have the material moved, “nothing happened,” Mr. Koraytem said.
“We have been waiting for this to be resolved for six years, in vain,” he said.
The cause of the explosion is still not clear, but many Lebanese were quick to point out what they believe to be the root causes; immense mismanagement in a broken state run by a corrupt political class who they say treat the country’s inhabitants with contempt.
It is also not lost on Beirut’s residents that this tragedy emanated from the city’s port, a public utility known locally as the “Cave of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” for the vast amount of state funds that have reportedly been stolen there over the decades.
The allegations include claims that billions of dollars in tax revenue never reached the state treasury due to schemes to undervalue imports, as well as accusations of systematic and widespread bribery to avoid paying customs taxes.
August 05, 2020, 03:36 PM
mo4040
That was definitely what one could call a 'high-order' detonation.
I don't think she died. She was running away after the shock wave had already passed.
You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
August 05, 2020, 04:20 PM
sigalert
Looks like she was able to run.
Question, do people within a certain radius have ruptured eardrums from the shockwave?
“Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant.” – James Madison
"Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." - Robert Louis Stevenson
August 05, 2020, 04:36 PM
corsair
quote:
Originally posted by mo4040amn, she was fine.
Indeed. Friend of friend just found out a wedding they were supposed to attend in Beirut next month, has been postponed. He was looking forward to all the gals there.
Lebanon is over 40% Christian, largest in the Middle East, with many of the denominations stretching back to pre-Crusader times before the Great Schism.
quote:
Originally posted by sigalert: Question, do people within a certain radius have ruptured eardrums from the shockwave?
Said friend from above, said several family members have concussions along with many glass imbedded injuries. I imagine ruptured eardrums, concussions and TBI along with various other issues will unfortunately be common.
August 05, 2020, 04:53 PM
flesheatingvirus
quote:
Originally posted by sigalert: Looks like she was able to run.
Question, do people within a certain radius have ruptured eardrums from the shockwave?
Yes. The threshold for eardrum perforation is only 5 psi overpressure. That being said, 5psi doesn't guarantee a rupture, it is only the threshold.
________________________________________
-- Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. --
amn, she was fine.
there.