A massive explosion has just hit Beirut, Lebanon (video)

submitted by magnora7 from twitter.com

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[–]magnora7[S] 14 insightful - 3 fun14 insightful - 2 fun15 insightful - 3 fun -  (6 children)

Wow that was like a nuclear bomb almost, that was a much bigger explosion than I ever expected. Holy cow.

Reuters says it occurred in a port area but doesn't give a reason why: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-security-blast/large-blast-in-beirut-port-area-shakes-lebanons-capital-sources-say-idUSKCN25021M

Another video on twitter (just below the OP video on twitter) shows what look to be fireworks going off right before the big explosion, so it might've been a shipment of fireworks.

[–]bobbobbybob 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

5.4 kt of TNT equivalent. Munitions storge

[–]magnora7[S] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

Interesting, could be. Where are you getting that info? Another comment says it was ammonium perchlorate or ammonium nitrate: https://saidit.net/s/WorldNews/comments/5w1z/a_massive_explosion_has_just_hit_beirut_lebanon/mwx3?context=3

[–]bobbobbybob 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

it was these guys, but tweet is scrubbed now:

https://twitter.com/AlArabiya_Eng

they named it as a hezbollah warehouse in an early tweet

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Interesting, but I have to say jumping to the hezbollah explanation is exactly what Israel wants because then it means they can invade lebanon as per an earlier contract.

[–]bobbobbybob 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

not really relevant, but https://twitter.com/drbairdonline/status/1291070513649823744

weird signals from different places. the tunnels being unearthed hint at munitions fabrication and transport

[–]FediNetizen 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

No way it was 5.4kt equivalent. Lebanese president confirmed there were 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored in the warehouse.

As it happens, that lines up extremely well with the yield calculations done by this redditor several hours ago. Ammonium nitrate has a relative effectiveness (RE is an index for how powerful the explosion is relative to the same mass of TNT) of 0.42, so 2,750 x 0.42 = 1105.5 tons, with that being the upper limit.

Keep in mind since it wasn't arranged for an optimal explosion, so actual yield is gonna be lower, which is why those 700-1000 ton numbers seem like a pretty good range.

At any rate it certainly wasn't 5.4kt, that'd be 30% larger than the largest conventional explosion in recorded history, which was set off intentionally. If we're talking accidental detonations, 5.4kt would be nearly twice the current largest recorded explosion, the Halifax Explosion, which was 2.9kt