MASSIVE explosions in Beirut, Lebanon

[Dennis Donovan]

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Zaiنab Hijazi @zainabhijazi97

Just received this video!!! Everyone stay safe. #Beirut

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11:21 AM · Aug 4, 2020

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Joyce Karam @Joyce_Karam

BREAKING: Explosions in Beirut #Lebanon

• 2 explosions in last 15 min
• One at Port, one inside Beirut
• Reports it’s near ex PM Hariri residence in city center
• Second very loud, shook city, houses
• This week is International Tribunal verdict into killing of Rafik Hariri

Joyce Karam @Joyce_Karam

Moment that the second explosion hit #Beirut Lebanon. Many houses damaged, injuries reported.

First was at Port. This is closer to downtown

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11:31 AM · Aug 4, 2020

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53656220

Beirut blast: Explosion rocks city ahead of Hariri verdict

7 minutes ago

A large blast has hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, ahead of the verdict in a trial for the killing of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Reports say the explosion was in the port area of the city, with unconfirmed reports of a second blast.

Video showed a large mushroom cloud and extensive damage.

A UN tribunal is due to issue its verdict in the trial in absentia of four suspects in the murder by car bomb of Rafik Hariri.

All four are members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, which has consistently denied any role in Hariri's death.

The possible second explosion was reported to be at the Hariri residence in the city.

There is no word yet on casualties.

</snip>

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Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 @borzou

Stunning video shows explosions just minutes ago at Beirut port

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11:47 AM · Aug 4, 2020

Like Halifax, 1917...

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Holy crap...

[panader0]

2. Damn! The cloud almost looked like a mushroom for a second.

[jimlup]

7. It was a mushroom cloud

that doesn't mean it was a nuclear explosion. Just that it was really big.

If you look at the video there seems to be a pre-ignition event. I'm trying to reason through the physics of that right now. My guess is a conventional fuel-air munition with a trigger bomb of some sort.

[underpants]

9. The white cloud - yeah it did.

[LeftInTX]

39. Mushroom clouds form when explosions get high enough in atmosphere

It doesn't mean it is nuclear.

[jpak]

3. Holy shit

What was that

[soothsayer]

4. Another vid

Link to tweet

?s=21

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. K&Fuckin' R

[ananda]

6. Oh god, my niece lives there.

Her mother is texting her to see if she's all right.

[Celerity]

10. I so hope she is oki!

[ananda]

15. Thank you! She's fine, but she felt it.

There's a big trial there this week, so ....

She's supposed to come back to Austin this month..

It can't be soon enough for me.

[Celerity]

16. so glad to hear this!!!

[demmiblue]

17. Thank goodness!

[UpInArms]

8. Oh my ....

[jimlup]

11. CNN seems to be reporting it is a "firecracker warehouse"

that's some freaking firecracker!

[SCliberal91294]

12. One of the best cities I have visited

I hope everyone is ok. The economy is very bad right now as well. They need some hope.

[dutch777]

13. Lebanon is ready to unravel into another civil war

Their finances are in a shambles....bankrupt really...Covid not helping of course...and the IMF says unless there is real governmental reorganization and end to the graft and corruption that syphoned off last bailout there will be no more help. The levers of government were divided up after the last civil war along ethnic and religious lines to the elites within each group and it just served to institute cronyism and bad government. And each group wants the other groups to take the economic and political hits, not them. Terrible for the people in the streets and the region.

And they are not the only country going down the financial drain under Covid. Turkey is in bad shape as is Venezuela and others. Given tourism hit to Greece and other places that rely on that cash stream I wouldn't be surprised to see them follow. We certainly have our own issues with the 33% drop in GDP but it could well be these other second and third tier countries defaulting that starts a domino affect that we all get hit with. France and Spain hold a lot of sovereign debt for Turkey as an example. Just what we need with Trump unable to lead even the heavy coffee drinkers to the bathroom let alone coalesce national and international forces to prevent an economic implosion.

[soothsayer]

14. And another vid (big explosion)

Link to tweet

?s=21

[honest.abe]

18. That looks like a small nuclear device.

Seems to immense an explosion for typical bomb.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

30. No, it does not.

[honest.abe]

44. What would a small nuclear explosion look like?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

46. It would have had a large flash and it would not have had red smoke.

Any large explosion can make a mushroom cloud, especially if it's hot. The official word on the mushroom clouds caused by the Trinity tests were that they were munitions dumps going up.

[honest.abe]

47. Yeah, a large bright flash is typical of a nuclear device.

The massive mushroom cloud though really looked nuclear. Also the blast’s estimated yield of 1 kiloton of TNT would be in the range of a small nuclear explosion. But yes it appears it was not nuclear. Probably ammonium nitrate set off by the fireworks explosion.

[question everything]

19. Sadly, Lebanon is now become another ungovernable country

It was established after WWII as a Christian majority. Really was torn away from Syria which still refers to it as "Southern Syria."

I am afraid that it will end up as part of Syria. Where does Putin stand, I wonder.

[Baclava]

20. Holy shit! Sad, Beirut was once called "the Paris of the middle east"

[LeftInTX]

41. It hasn't been since 1975

[demmiblue]

21. Kick

[kentuck]

22. That did look like a small nuclear explosion!

Wow!

[2naSalit]

23. It sure did.

[sarisataka]

27. A mushroom cloud is indicative

of a large explosion, not necessarily nuclear.

[Disaffected]

24. The smoke has

an odd predominant rusty-red colour. There appears to have been a number of small explosions just before the major detonation so looks like maybe a munitions depot (or as mentioned, a fireworks factory or warehouse). Not a nuke...

That building nearby that looks like a hotel may have been obliterated.

[Baclava]

25. Explosion was secondary to fire, who builds an explosives factory next to residential highrises?

[Zorro]

26. Texas probably allows it

[Baclava]

28. yeah, sure, whatever you say

has that little Hiroshima feel to it

[Disaffected]

29. Lots I expect where zoning doesn't prohibit it

Texas is a pretty good example (ammonium nitrate storage). Also China (fireworks). Not close to residential high rises but similar nonetheless.

In any case, has it been reported as an explosives factory?

[Baclava]

31. Explosives/fireworks, blackpowder, same same, "explosives materials were stored at the blast site"

[Disaffected]

33. yeah, sure, whatever you say

[Baclava]

34. Or it could be some kind of chemical explosive component, they really aren't saying much

[BGBD]

36. its ammonium nitrate

an explosion that big, makes sense.
similar to the Galveston Bay explosion.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_disaster

[Baclava]

38. Yeah that would sure do it! Big ba da boom

[TeamPooka]

32. Looks like the fire hit a gas line of some sort

I live in a port city and we have a network of gas lines and other pipes for several types of fuel gas type deliveries and storage.

[Quixote1818]

35. That was my first thought. nt

[BGBD]

37. ammonium nitrate

apparently a ship carrying it had been offloaded and the material was still onsite.

[TeamPooka]

42. That will do it. ANFO took down the OK City Federal Building

[ChazII]

40. Very scary

to see these videos.

[Bettie]

43. AP Newsbreak just said that

it was a fire at a fireworks warehouse.

[hunter]

45. Next door to the fertilizer impound... oops.

[Rhiannon12866]

48. From NBC News:

Link to tweet

[KY_EnviroGuy]

49. Main explosion registered M3.3 on the USGS earthquake system.

M 3.3 Explosion - 1 km ENE of Beirut, Lebanon
Time: 2020-08-04 11:08:18 (UTC-04:00)
Location: 33.901°N 35.519°E

KY........

[KY_EnviroGuy]

50. Here's aerial video of the explosion scene showing a huge crater left behind.

Aerial footage captures scale of destruction from Beirut explosion – video
Source: AP
Wed 5 Aug 2020 02.16 EDT

View it here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/aug/05/aerial-footage-captures-scale-of-destruction-from-beirut-explosion-video

KY