Beirut Go Boom!

[Dleg]

I read that 300,000 people are "homeless" now because of this. I am hoping most of these are just temporary, waiting on repairs, but it did look like there were a lot of buildings with structural (vs. architectural) damage.

 

[Dleg]

I wonder if being almost surrounded by water helped reduce the blast?

Also that building adjacent to the blast that is wrecked, but still standing, was probably built with old math..

That thing took a beating:

 

[RBHeadge PE]

I'm surprised the dust in the silo didn't add to blast. They're built solid specifically to prevent or contain grain dust explosions.

 

[Dleg]

Found the video from the adjacent building.  No way this guy survived. Maybe he was streaming?

https://twitter.com/joeyayoub/status/1290680306513645571?s=20

 

[Dleg]

Estimate of the power of the blast is a few hundred tons of TNT, roughly equivalent to smallest US nuclear weapon, but significantly less damaging than a nuke would have been due to less heat, no radiation, and slower overall reaction. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-big-was-the-explosion-that-devastated-beirut-moab-2020-8?r=US&IR=T

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

Well, the conspiracy theories are already rolling in. I'm not going to share the garbage I've seen but suffice to say it involves a plane/jet and airstrike.

 

[Violator]

Russians?

 

[Dleg]

"Closest known footage"

https://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/the-closest-known-footage-of-the-beirut-warehouse-explosion/86339777/?utm_campaign=page-posts&utm_medium=EBW&utm_source=facebook

 

[Dleg]

Interesting graphic showing estimated power of blast compared to military weapons and other accidental explosions:

https://graphics.reuters.com/LEBANON-SECURITY/BLAST/nmopalewrva/index.html

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Interesting graphic showing estimated power of blast compared to military weapons and other accidental explosions:

https://graphics.reuters.com/LEBANON-SECURITY/BLAST/nmopalewrva/index.html

So, basically, the 3rd biggest non-nuclear explosion EVAR?

 

[RBHeadge PE]

So, basically, the 3rd biggest non-nuclear explosion EVAR?

I'm not sure about that? It was big but I doubt it's in the top five.  I believe the chart is just just showing a few well known civilian accidental explosions for context. For instance the initial explosion of the Enchede fireworks explosion was 800 kg TNT-equivalent and the last explosion was 4-5 T TNT-equivalent.

 

[Dleg]

I've heard other reports claiming that it was the 3rd largest man-made, non-nuclear explosion ever, but I don't know if there is a list anywhere that is comprehensive enough to say that for sure. I wonder if there were ever ammunition depot and ship explosions in WWII that were at that scale, for instance. 

Check this out, as an example. SS John Burke, hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane in the invasion of the Philippines December 28, 1944.

 

[Dleg]

Huh, after that video finished, Youtube cued up this list of largest man-made non-nuclear explosions, which has a few different ones. Including their No. 1 pick, the Soviet moon rocket N-1, which they claim was a 7 kT explosion. 

 

[jeb6294]

Where does a post-Taco Bell trip to the bathroom fit on the list?

 

[Dleg]

100 megaturds.