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Massive Fireworks Factory Explosion in Beirut

Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
SkyNews says that at least ten are currently confirmed dead.
BREAKING: Officials have said at least 10 people have been killed in a huge explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Middle East Correspondent
@Stone_SkyNews
says Lebanon's hospitals were already "struggling badly"
The explosion appeared to be centred around the city's port area containing warehouses and rippled through several areas of the capital.

Lebanon's internal security chief Abbas Ibrahim said it happened in a building containing highly-explosive materials, according to news agency NNA.
 

Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
I know it is early but 10 seems like a miraculous number considering the destruction
It does. I'm feeling hopeful that deaths are only concentrated around the immediate blast zone though, and that the shockwave mostly caused glass-based injuries.
 

Airbus Jr

Banned
What kind of dumbass put such a large amount of volatile substance....near a gas station and in such close proximity with a crowded...populated city...
 

Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
Ragıp Soylu, Middle East Eye
To understand the scale of Beirut port explosion;
Just one hospital, Hotel Dieu Hospital, has more than 500 wounded people and they can no longer accept any more patients.
They need blood, and there dozens who need surgery, per LBCI


From the boss of what SkyNews calls Beirut's "main public hospital"
First report from RHUH. Emergency room very busy. One patient passed away. 66 injured patients received so far. More to come, we are I formed. Most have glass injury, some deep. Received evacuated patients from Karantina Hospital. Proud of the staff, everyone reported to duty.
 

39MX3gX.jpg
 
i think everyone in the area should be getting the hell out, right

like at least 100 miles away and then quarantine the area

stalker 3 has now already gotta be in the works
 

Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
There's an idea spreading on Twitter that it's toxic to breathe the fumes, as they contain nitric acid. I haven't yet seen this mentioned by any reputable source, and the only origin I find for this claim is a screenshotted private message. Anyone here got more info?

An edit. Some are saying that the color of the flames and smoke indicate a nitric acid-based explosion. But again, I haven't seen a single reputable source report this, it's just randoms on Twitter. I don't know if any have an ounce of expertise.

Another edit. The lack of any repetition from a single reliable source means that either only laymen have picked up on this while none of the experts have, or this is total bullshit.
 
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There's a video i had sent to me that shows a main road/dual carriageway just next to the factory. There are busses and cars driving up and down as the explosion happens.

I hope I'm wrong but i reckon 100 deaths
 

Kenpachii

Member
We had a firework factory blow up in one of our towns where people where all looking at the fireworks before it went nuclear. So many people died that day, shit whiped half a village of the map. Those explosions are huge and powerful.

My god this is horrible.
 

TheContact

Member
saw this earlier, hope everyone's OK. definitely looks like fireworks at first that triggered a secondary explosion. hopefully just an accident and not intentional.
 

GHG

Member
Are those smaller flashes are actually fireworks though? Maybe I've watched too many 9/11 conspiracy videos over the years :messenger_neutral:

My heart goes out to everyone in Beirut, these videos and images are harrowing. Hope as many people as possible survive and recover.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
Absolutely insane for non nuclear explosion to be that big...some blue checkmark claiming to be an expert on explosives was saying that could be about a 1KT blast. Reminds me of that accident in China a few years ago. RIP it looks terrible on the ground
 

Birdo

Banned
The initial fire and small explosion was fireworks/gunpowder (Which can be seen in closer videos, with lots of fireworks going off).

The current theory is that this firework fire set off a stockpile of explosive material. Which was stored close by.

So it was both a firework explosion and a massive bomb.
 

Prison Mike

Banned
The initial fire and small explosion was fireworks/gunpowder (Which can be seen in closer videos, with lots of fireworks going off).

The current theory is that this firework fire set off a stockpile of explosive material. Which was stored close by.

So it was both a firework explosion and a massive bomb.
Hats off to the store person there ffs.
 

StonedRider

Member
Sodium nitrate is an oxidizer. It produces oxygen on heating, but it doesn't burn or explode by itself. We used to make fuel for our rockets in childhood from paper soaked in sodium nitrate solution and then dried.

And it's stupidity of highest degree to keep sodium nitrate together with fireworks.
 
There's an idea spreading on Twitter that it's toxic to breathe the fumes, as they contain nitric acid. I haven't yet seen this mentioned by any reputable source, and the only origin I find for this claim is a screenshotted private message. Anyone here got more info?

It's for sure toxic to be there and people should leave. 9/11 first responders all got cancer and severe respiratory diseases within a few years from breathing in the remnants of the broken buildings, and that was two buildings with no toxic bomb. Just the metal, asbestos, concrete, glass and dust alone is lethal to inhale the longer you're in it anytime there's large scale damage like that.
 

Aggelos

Member



















Probably the video closest to the explosion







aftermath on the beach (graphic footage)




 
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-Arcadia-

Banned
Separating out the loss of life (looks like a lot more than just double digits of casualties)...

I can't help but be awe-struck by seeing something like that in real life, right or wrong.

If this is what some military explosives from a non-superpower, lying around in a warehouse can do, it's a stark reminder of how much we never, ever want another war, even outside of nukes.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
We had a firework factory blow up in one of our towns where people where all looking at the fireworks before it went nuclear. So many people died that day, shit whiped half a village of the map. Those explosions are huge and powerful.

My god this is horrible.

Noticing that in the videos. It's horrible, because the first explosion looks mostly harmless from a safe distance, and probably drew people in to watch, not expecting something closer to a nuke minutes later. Frankly, I probably would have done it too.

Life lesson to walk/drive in the opposite direction ASAP with something like this.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Man if that’s the end result of (possibly) planting a bomb in a fireworks factory, then those places should be forced to have 24/7 security and guards around the premises. Not gonna happen, but in a perfect world that’s what it would take to avoid such destruction in the first place

I’m not knowledgeable enough to speculate, but could the fireworks have made the bomb deadlier? Or was that really what a building full of fireworks is capable of?

If there was a gun to my head and I was told my life depended on the correct answer I’d guess there was a bomb involved as well
 
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