Massive Explosion in Beirut.

[Pann]

Terrifying!

https://twitter.com/allushiii_new/st...72503275356161

Hopefully causalities will not be that high but it doesn't look good.

[Kante]

The aftermath footage is horrid, rubble and bodies all over the place.

The port was entirely wiped out in the blast, the only thing left standing is hardened concrete structures (partially..at least) and steel frames.

[Thee ANCOM]

from what I've seen and heard it started as a fire in a fireworks warehouse. as shocking as that is, I've seen a lot of simialr explosions from chemical plants and such. suffice to say it doesn't seem to be an act of terror or agression.

[PACOX]

I thought the first part of the clip was it then I doubled back...OMG.

Hoping for the best possible outcome.

[Forgettable]

That is intense... Never seen a shockwave like that before.

[Shadowferal]

You can see the fireworks going off.

[Allatar]

from what I've seen and heard it started as a fire in a fireworks warehouse. as shocking as that is, I've seen a lot of simialr explosions from chemical plants and such. suffice to say it doesn't seem to be an act of terror or agression.

One of the videos I saw, which was quite obviously someone recording on a phone, seemed to show firework-like explosions going off in the smoke pillar right before the massive one.

[Thekri]

The other reports are that it was a Hezbollah munitions store... right now we just don’t know, but that explosion was pretty massive.

Well the one does not preclude the other. Either way, it looks massive, that is some scary stuff. There definitely seems to be fireworks involved, you can see them quite clearly.

I am not familiar enough with Beirut to know how dense the population is around the port, but if it is shattering glass at that distance, I fear the worst for a lot of people.

[Puupi]

That's going to be thousands dead.

Maybe not thousands, but hundreds. Already saw some videos of bodies on the streets. A couple of blocks of apartments were completely obliterated, too.

- - - Updated - - -

Well the one does not preclude the other. Either way, it looks massive, that is some scary stuff. There definitely seems to be fireworks involved, you can see them quite clearly.

I am not familiar enough with Beirut to know how dense the population is around the port, but if it is shattering glass at that distance, I fear the worst for a lot of people.

If it isn't a bomb/some illegal hizbollah armory, who the fuck decided to put a munitions/fireworks storage in the middle of a city?!

[Thekri]

Maybe not thousands, but hundreds. Already saw some videos of bodies on the streets. A couple of blocks of apartments were completely obliterated, too.

It is really tough to tell from large explosions, it really depends on what blew up and what absorbed the shock. There seems to be a lot of tall buildings around, that could cut the casualties dramatically if their frames absorb most the blast OR it could skyrocket them if those buildings collapse. The explosion in Tianjin in 2015 was enormous, but the actual fatalities from the blast was quite light, due to the low population density of the port area, and the many tall warehouses absorbing the blast (Several hundred firefighters died from the chemicals released after though, exactly how many is unclear, since China censored the shit out of it).

So the deaths could be anywhere from single digits to 4 or even 5 digits, we really don't know yet.

[ParanoiD84]

Quite a big one for sure.

[Thekri]

If it isn't a bomb/some illegal hizbollah armory, who the fuck decided to put a munitions/fireworks storage in the middle of a city?!

Large urban explosions are alarmingly frequent. We do it in the US too, visit Houston, TX sometime, and drive toward the ship channel. All those refineries can blow up with this sort of scale. This seems to be a warehouse near the port, and fireworks are very popular in the middle east, so it is entirely possible this is just fireworks.

Too early to make any speculations really, there definitely could be foul play here, or it could be an accident. Tough to tell.

[Shadowferal]

Yeah TX seems to go boom every now and then.

[Crissi]

oof yeah, this reminded me of the West, Tx chemical plant explosion in 2013. This being actually in the city is so much worse...

[Doctor Amadeus]

Gas leak maybe.

[Rampant Rabbit]

Large urban explosions are alarmingly frequent. We do it in the US too, visit Houston, TX sometime, and drive toward the ship channel. All those refineries can blow up with this sort of scale. This seems to be a warehouse near the port, and fireworks are very popular in the middle east, so it is entirely possible this is just fireworks.

Too early to make any speculations really, there definitely could be foul play here, or it could be an accident. Tough to tell.

It is at least that (fireworks) as well as seized (years ago) fuel or chemicals from what I've read. Can't believe this was stored at such a location. It's a port, but it's literally next to the city.

I sincerely hope it's nothing suspect, but it sure is at least a little bit. Time will tell, I guess.

[Yunru]

I am sure they were storing there something else than just pirotehics. It wouldnt explode that much as most of it is designed to be a low yeild. Maybe attack by Israel on secret weapon stash?

[Easo]

First video seems to clearly imply that it was a fireworks explosion, so most likely a warehouse full of them went boom.
The second video, yeah... Dont want to experience that, ever.

That's going to be thousands dead.

Unlikely, was not surrounded by hab blocks and was on the waterfront.

I am sure they were storing there something else than just pirotehics. It wouldnt explode that much as most of it is designed to be a low yeild. Maybe attack by Israel on secret weapon stash?

Regular detonations of fireworks in China says hello. Israel is unlikely to be involved this time around.

[s_bushido]

I thought the first part of the clip was it then I doubled back...OMG.

Yeah, same. I was definitely not expecting that. Fucking crazy.

The BBC story I read described the building that went up as an "explosives depot"... Whatever that is, it sounds like a terrible, terrible idea.

[Kante]

I am sure they were storing there something else than just pirotehics. It wouldnt explode that much as most of it is designed to be a low yeild. Maybe attack by Israel on secret weapon stash?

While Israel has beef with Hezbollah, i doubt there would be a strike like that in broad daylight with half of Beirut shattered from the blast without open hostilities.

The question is, what was stored over there besides the firecrackers, the secondary blast and its form, doubt it was firecrackers alone.