08-05-2020, 01:20 PM
** 05-Aug-2020 World View: Ammonium Nitrate
![[Image: 05lebanon-briefing-1sub-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg]](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/08/05/world/05lebanon-briefing-1sub/05lebanon-briefing-1sub-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg)
The explosive material was 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer,
that had been confiscated in 2013, and left sitting in a storage
warehouse, adjacent to a fireworks factory, in the midst of a densely
packed residential area. 300,000 people lost their homes, hundreds
were killed, and thousands were wounded. 85% of the country's grain
storage was destroyed. Several hospitals were destroyed. The
explosion was far larger than anyone had ever seen, and property was
damaged and windows broken all across the city, and for miles around.
For all the good it will do them, the people are furious at the
incompetence of the politicians, especially Hezbollah, which controls
the seaport, for leaving 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer
sitting around for almost ten years.
The politicians are all posturing. The president has had all the port
workers arrested (LOL!), and he's announced that there will be a
"transparent" investigation to find out what happened (LOL!).
Meanwhile, the last "transparent" investigation, of the 2005 Hariri
car bombing, took 15 years to be completed, and its results are
scheduled to be announced on Friday, August 7. It's expected that
Hezbollah will be blamed.
-- Beirut explosion: Port officials under house arrest as rescue
effort
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53670839
(BBC, 5-Aug-2020)
- What's left of Beirut's seaport
Guest Wrote:> With the different stories coming out of Lebanon regarding the
> port explosion, wouldn't that red coloration of the smoke give an
> idea as to the composition of the explosive? Is anyone familiar
> enough with demolitions and pyrotechnics to guess?
The explosive material was 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer,
that had been confiscated in 2013, and left sitting in a storage
warehouse, adjacent to a fireworks factory, in the midst of a densely
packed residential area. 300,000 people lost their homes, hundreds
were killed, and thousands were wounded. 85% of the country's grain
storage was destroyed. Several hospitals were destroyed. The
explosion was far larger than anyone had ever seen, and property was
damaged and windows broken all across the city, and for miles around.
For all the good it will do them, the people are furious at the
incompetence of the politicians, especially Hezbollah, which controls
the seaport, for leaving 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer
sitting around for almost ten years.
The politicians are all posturing. The president has had all the port
workers arrested (LOL!), and he's announced that there will be a
"transparent" investigation to find out what happened (LOL!).
Meanwhile, the last "transparent" investigation, of the 2005 Hariri
car bombing, took 15 years to be completed, and its results are
scheduled to be announced on Friday, August 7. It's expected that
Hezbollah will be blamed.
-- Beirut explosion: Port officials under house arrest as rescue
effort
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53670839
(BBC, 5-Aug-2020)
