Lebanon - Large explosion rocks port area in Beirut, Aug 2020

[BetteDavisEyes]

Massive warehouse explosion rocks Beirut, causing injuries and widespread damage

At least 3,000 people have been injured and 50 have been killed. The numbers are likely to rise with hospitals filling up fast.

 

[branmuffin]

My grandma lived in Beirut for a while and always said it was a beautiful city. My generation normally hears it prefixed with the words ‘war torn’ so I’m posting these stunning images of how Beirut was, before the explosion:

Beirut Lebanon Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock

It used to be called the Paris of the East.

 

[dotr]

Beirut explosion: Toronto-area community leaders react to devastating blast
''The blast struck with the force of a 3.5-magnitude earthquake, according to Germany’s geosciences centre GFZ, and it was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 200 kilometres across the Mediterranean.

What caused the detonation was not immediately clear. Videos showed what appeared to be a fire erupting nearby just before the blast. Local TV stations reported that a fireworks warehouse was involved. The fire appeared to spread to a nearby building, triggering the more massive explosion, generating a shock wave.''

 

[JugsAndTugs]

Massive warehouse explosion rocks Beirut, causing injuries and widespread damage

At least 3,000 people have been injured and 50 have been killed. The numbers are likely to rise with hospitals filling up fast.

100 dead and expected to rise with the amount of people missing.. absolutely heartbreaking.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
How an abandoned ship became a ‘ticking time bomb’ in Beirut
''Lebanon’s port authorities were shocked when they boarded the vessel to inspect it. Not only was the merchant vessel Rhosus, flying a Moldovan flag, unfit to continue on its journey – it was carrying an astonishing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in its hold.''

'The owner of the Rhosus was a Russian national, Igor Grechushkin, whose last known address was Cyprus. He did not answer calls to his mobile phone on Wednesday. His LinkedIn page appeared to have been deleted.''

First pictures emerge of a Russian man whose ammonium nitrate cargo detonated in the port of Beirut

''The 2,750 tonnes cargo of Khabarovsk-born businessman Igor Grechushkin was detained in Lebanon in 2013.''


Igor Grechushkin is reported to be still residing in Limassol, Cyprus with his wife. Picture: The Siberian Times

''The Russian father of one, currently reported to be living in Limassol, Cyprus, was accused by the crew of his ship in abandoning both the people and the cargo.

The ship called Rhosus was going under the flag of Moldova from Batumi in Georgia to Mozambique. It was detained in October 2013 by Lebanese authorities after it stopped in Beirut due to a malfunction on board.

The cargo was checked and detained after the port authorities said it was ‘lacking documents and conditions necessary for transportation.’

The crew - eight Ukrainian and two Russian men - was forced to stay on board of the vessel while the owner Grechushkin declared himself bankrupt and ‘abandoned the ship’.

 

[dotr]

A view shows the aftermath of yesterday’s blast at the port of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, on August 5, 2020. (ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)
’I didn’t want to die’: Beirut resident recalls moments of panic after blast | Toronto Sun

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/beirut-blast-day-after-1.5674666

''The Lebanese government says it is putting an unspecified number of Beirut port officials under house arrest pending an investigation into how 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate came to be stored at the port for years.

The move comes amid speculation that negligence was to blame for Tuesday's 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.''

 

[Tbone144]

The Aftermath of the Beirut Explosion

Pictures of the aftermath.

 

[mjp1228]

If I’m understanding the post above, then I’m astounded why government officials - after seizing the ship carrying the ammonium nitrate back in 2013 - didn’t follow up to see that it was disposed of safely - or at least Moved out of their port. That’s a huge shipment that many officials had to know about. I think we’re going to hear about a lot more deaths than those reported already.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Blood, smoke and rubble: Day after blast, Beirut struggles amid apocalyptic scene

"Our home is destroyed, our life is destroyed. Why are we stuck in this country?" said wedding store owner Mohamed Abidis.

BEIRUT — It seemed like all hope was lost.

But after 15 hours buried under the rubble of his home in Beirut, Imad Atar was miraculously pulled out alive by a civil defense team Wednesday, punching the air weakly with joy as crowds clapped, cried and cheered in an emotional display.

Drenched in sweat from the August sun, the team of volunteers used pickaxes and shovels to dig Atar out from under the rubble of his home in the Geitawi neighborhood, in the east of the Lebanese capital.

A roar of joy reverberated through the streets as the volunteers screamed "he's alive!" pulling him out along with items from his former home — a pair of slippers, children's toys and jewelry...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Substance that reportedly sparked Beirut explosions was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing

Ammonium nitrate, which Lebanese authorities have said caused the devastating Beirut blasts, is an odorless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertilizer and has caused numerous industrial explosions over the decades. These notably include one at a Texas fertilizer plant in 2013 that killed 15 and was ruled deliberate, a North Korean railway blast that left 161 dead in 2004, and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

When combined with fuel oils, ammonium nitrate creates a potent explosive widely used in the construction industry, but also by insurgent groups such as the Taliban for improvised explosives.

Two tons of it were used to create the bomb in the 1995 Oklahoma City attack that destroyed a federal building, leaving 168 people dead...

 

[whitelilac]

Another thing to consider with this monumental catastrophe is the short and long term health effects on the population, caused by the explosion and aftermath.....exposure to the toxic dust and particulates of pulverized building materials, asbestos, fibre and crystalline materials, plastics etc, which can lead to all manner of respiratory illnesses, cancers, and other serious conditions.
Much like what has happened after 9/11.
Here is a summary of such: Health effects arising from the September 11 attacks - Wikipedia

 

[dotr]

Beirut explosion death toll rises to 135 as 5,000 wounded: Live

''Amnesty International called for an independent into Beirut's deadly blast and urged the international community to increase humanitarian aid at this time.

Julie Verhaar, acting secretary-general of the UK-based rights group, said, "Whatever may have caused the explosion, including the possibility of a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely, Amnesty International is calling for an international mechanism to be promptly set up to investigate how this happened.''

"Amnesty International also calls on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian aid to Lebanon at a time when the country was already struggling with the severe economic crisis, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic."

 

[margarita25]

It reminded me of the West TX fertilizer plant explosion. That was in a small town but still managed to kill 15 and injure many more. Ammonium Nitrate was an issue there, that and it being arson that started it and it looks like the West one was only 240 tons of ammonium nitrate, not 2700+. I lived 43 miles from West at the time and could feel it. I can’t imagine the scale of the damage in a city.

(just to cite my source West Fertilizer Company explosion - Wikipedia)

Yes, I was going to mention that.
Here’s the WS thread, going in for a quick refresher and comparison:

TX - Fertilizer plant explodes in West, Texas

 

[dotr]

Beirut residents rage at leaders over explosion
''French architect Jean-Marc Bonfils, involved in rebuilding the city after the civil war, and firefighter Sahar Fares, one of the first responders at the scene, were among the first fatalities to be named. A German diplomat was also among the dead.''

French President Emmanuel Macron - the first world leader to visit since the tragedy - was mobbed as he walked through the city on Thursday, with residents imploring him to help and denouncing their leaders.

"Help us, you are our only hope," one resident called out. "Please don't give money to our corrupt government," said another, before adding: "We can't take this any more."

''A city of sirens, empty buildings and empty streets
By Quentin Sommerville, BBC News, Beirut

This port was Lebanon's lifeline to the whole world. Something like 80% of the county's grain came through here. I can see the grain silos, which were built way back when, and they're teetering really. They no longer look like they're going to survive. Just beyond there I can see a ship listing heavily. I've lived in Beirut for five years and it's almost unrecognisable - it's a city of sirens, of empty buildings, of empty streets.

As I look at the neighbourhood of Gemmayze just behind the port, I don't think I can see a single pane of glass left. Entire roofs have gone - I can see friends' apartments which are just open to the sky now. All of this area, which was really heavily populated, has been abandoned. No one is coming back here anytime soon.

What's really noticeable as you walk the streets here is that every second person seems to have a broom in their hand. There are clear-up teams everywhere, but it's pretty low tech: tiny teams of people with pans and brushes to clean up an an entire city's devastation.

The thing that really strikes me is how enormously stupid it was, what criminal negligence it took to leave this highly explosive material right in the very heart of this city, within yards of people, their homes, their businesses. And the authorities here knew - they had been warned that these chemicals were dangerous and that they were a great risk to Beirut and Lebanon.''

 

[dotr]

Russian-leased cargo ship in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, in a summer 2014 photograph.
How A Russian Cargo Ship's Unscheduled Port Visit Led To Beirut Disaster
''The chemicals that went up in flames in Beirut's deadliest peace-time explosion arrived in the Lebanese capital seven years ago on a leaky Russian-leased cargo ship that, according to its captain, should never have stopped there.

"They were being greedy," said Boris Prokoshev, who was captain of the Rhosus in 2013 when he says the owner told him to make an unscheduled stop in Lebanon to pick up extra cargo.

Prokoshev said the ship was carrying 2,750 tonnes of a highly combustible chemical from Georgia to Mozambique when the order came to divert to Beirut on its way through the Mediterranean.

The crew were asked to load some heavy road equipment and take it to Jordan's Port of Aqaba before resuming their journey onto Africa, where the ammonium nitrate was to be delivered to an explosives manufacturer.''

''The abandoned Rhosus sank where she was moored in Beirut harbour, according to a May, 2018 email from a lawyer to Prokoshev, which said it had gone down "recently".

 

[dotr]

Lebanon's Hezbollah denies storing arms at blast site: Live

• ''Health Minister Hamad Hassan said at least 154 people have been killed in the explosion and 5,000 others injured, but the number is expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continued for missing people.

14:44 GMT - Hezbollah leader denies claims that warehouse had group's weapons
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah strongly denied claims that the armed group had any weapons stored at the warehouse prior to the explosion, adding that that the investigation will soon "reveal the truth" behind the deadly blast.

"We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor ammonium nitrate," Nasrallah said in televised speech. "Our people are among those injured and killed in the blast."

Nasrallah called for accountability and noted that there is a "consensus" for a just and transparent investigation.''

''Lebanon's President Michel Aoun rejected calls for an international probe into the massive port blast, after world leaders and Lebanese nationals abroad and at home pressed for an impartial investigation.

When asked by a journalist during a televised interview if he thought an international probe would dilute the "truth", the president answered, "of course".

 

[LietKynes]

Nasrallah called for accountability and noted that there is a "consensus" for a just and transparent investigation.''

''Lebanon's President Michel Aoun rejected calls for an international probe into the massive port blast, after world leaders and Lebanese nationals abroad and at home pressed for an impartial investigation.

When asked by a journalist during a televised interview if he thought an international probe would dilute the "truth", the president answered, "of course".

SABBM

How sad and disgusting.
Everyone responsible for this horror will be in CYA mode.

My utmost condolences to the wounded victims and families of the deceased.
Greed and stupidity of the ship's owner and their own government.

And what exactly was the shipment intended for in Mozambique ?
Was it to fund future terrorist actions ?
Will that avenue be explored or just hushed up ?
Imo.

 

[MajorHoople]

SABBM

How sad and disgusting.
Everyone responsible for this horror will be in CYA mode.

My utmost condolences to the wounded victims and families of the deceased.
Greed and stupidity of the ship's owner and their own government.

And what exactly was the shipment intended for in Mozambique ?
Was it to fund future terrorist actions ?
Will that avenue be explored or just hushed up ?
Imo.

Ammonium nitrate is fertilizer.

"It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.[4] Global production was estimated at 21.6 million tonnes in 2017."

Ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia

 

[LietKynes]

Ammonium nitrate is fertilizer.

"It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.[4] Global production was estimated at 21.6 million tonnes in 2017."

Ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia

Yes, I know it's a fertilizer and it was also emphasized in the breaking news articles as well.

To clarify --what I meant was that given its' explosive capabilities that terrorists could use it in Mozambique or elsewhere.
The Oklahoma City bombing used fertilizer as well; iirc.
Unfortunately it's not as if a group in Africa or another country are going to admit that they had any intentions other than using it for the farmers' crops.
Sadly.
We may never know the truth.
The victims deserve at least that.
Imo.