Beirut explosion: at least 78 dead and 4,000 wounded - 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate

[muriel_volestrangler]

Lebanon’s health minister told Reuters that the death toll from a massive explosion in the capital Beirut on Tuesday had reached 78, adding that nearly 4,000 people had been injured.

“There are many people missing until now. People are asking the emergency department about their loved ones and it is difficult to search at night because there is no electricity,” minister Hamad Hasan told Reuters. “We are facing a real catastrophe and need time to assess the extent of damages.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/aug/04/beirut-explosion-huge-blast-port-lebanon-capital?page=with:block-5f29ddec8f08ab0eb340048d#block-5f29ddec8f08ab0eb340048d

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[underpants]

1. Trump just said that he thinks THEY think it was an attack

He just said that in his presser.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. The stupidest man in the USA was elected president

How the fuck?

If the US really did have evidence for that ("I've met with some of our great generals and they seem to think" the explosion was the result of an attack, the president said. "This seems to be ... a bomb of some kind." ) then he fucking needs to say why they've gone public with it and no one else has.

[underpants]

5. The saying used to be "out over their skis"

Trump just jumps off the lift.

[herding cats]

12. It's almost comical how out of the loop he actually is

Not to mention how freaking stupid he is.

A) There was an obvious, visible fireworks fire.

B) The explosion was massive. Not some weak little bomb snuck into Beirut.

C) Whatever blew was ignited by the fire and it was extremely explosive. Massively, even.

D) Israel is screaming it wasn't them, and they'd be the most obvious one to look at.

E) Dumbass doesn't even realize Israel (Netanyahu is still his buddy, right?) would be on the hot seat if it were an attack. As would all of his shite pals and Russia via Syria.

[Polly Hennessey]

3. He thinks, they think? If it's from his ugly mouth it is a lie, an exaggeration,

a fabrication. What generals? Someone bombed Lebanon? Wait for the facts folks.

[exboyfil]

4. The stuff had been stored for six years

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

Videos show smoke billowing from a fire, then a mushroom cloud following the blast at the city's port.

Officials are blaming highly explosive materials stored in a warehouse for six years.

President Michel Aoun tweeted it was "unacceptable" that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored unsafely.

Rock Island has a huge loading and storage facility as well. I did some research at the time of the Texas explosion.

I can't understand why we keep this stuff in areas with population concentration.

[onetexan]

7. explosion in the town of West, TX was also what came to mind when i heard of this tragedy

decimated the entire town. These chemical storage places go unchecked & are literally bombs waiting to explode any minute.

[exboyfil]

10. Yes that was the one I had in mind

The Rock Island facility stores 40,000 tons of fertilizer. This was apparently 3,000 tons. The last I heard about it was 2013 so maybe they have done something since then. Google maps showed apartments, churches, and a school within a mile of the storage facility.

[exboyfil]

6. Our big brain leader weighs in

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-beirut-explosion-video-press-conference-today-lebanon-a9654361.html

So which general(s) will be forced to fall on their swords. At a minimum he owes us the names of those generals.



"Let me begin by sending America's deepest sympathies to the people of Lebanon," he said at a White House briefing on Tuesday. "It looks like a terrible attack."

Lebanese officials believe the explosions were caused by several thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate left unsecured for several years in a warehouse.

Watch more

At least 70 dead and over 3,000 injured in Beirut explosions

Devastating photos show destruction from Beirut explosions

Video shows destruction throughout Beirut after Lebanon explosions

Boris Johnson responds to 'shocking' Beirut explosions
When asked what evidence supports his characterisation, the president said US generals told him they believed the explosions were the result of an attack.

"I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was," the president said. "This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. This was a – seems to be, according to them, they would know better than I would – but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind, yes."

[Demovictory9]

8. omg ... that video

[Roland99]

9. DAMN! It blew out his B pillars even!

[BootinUp]

11. I believe that car was totaled man. Nt

[Chainfire]

13. Why in the world would you store that amount of explosive materials in a built-up area.

Some serious judgement errors there. Watching the videos, it looked like it may have started as a fire, and graduated to a series of small explosions before it touched off the Ammonium Nitrate. Ammonite needs a hard kick to go ballistic, but when it does it is a doozie.