Recently, Lebanon was shocked by an explosion due to ammonium nitrate estimated to weigh 2.75 tonnes which shook the city of Beirut, early yesterday morning.
The tragedy also give a big impact on 70 deaths and more than 4,000 people being injured, apart from causing severe damage to buildings in the city. According to CNN, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said that the blast caused damage to almost half of the city’s buildings and the hospital was overcrowded with injured patients.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab have said that the explosive ammonium nitrate was stored in a depot without close supervision for more than six years.
In addition to the tragedies in Lebanon, here are five other tragedies caused by the same incident that have occurred in several other countries around the world:
1. Warehouse explosion in Tianjing, China – 2015
The incident left 110 emergency personnel, 55 residents, and workers dead. In addition, 790 civilians were reported injured, while eight bodies have not been found to date.
2.Ryongchon, North Korea – 2004
Several vehicles carrying nitrogen fertilizers and trains carrying liquid fuel exploded at Ryongchon train station in April 2014. The incident left 162 dead and more than 3,000 injured.
3. Texas City Tragedy 1947
Occurred in Galveston Bay, Texas in 1947, beginning with the action of an individual throwing cigarette butts on board an SS Grandcamp carrying 2.3 tons of ammonium nitrate.
The first explosion resulted in a series of follow-up explosions on other ships at anchor and spread to a nearby oil processing plant. The tragedy killed 581 people and injured another 3,500.
4. Oppau Explosion, Germany – 1921
The silo tower stored 450 tons of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer had exploded, killing about 500 people and injuring 2,000 others.
5. The Great Kent Explosion – 1916
The plant, which stored 25 tonnes of explosives and 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, caught fire and exploded, killing 115 workers. The explosion could be felt up to 244 kilometers from the scene.
Sources: Taproot.com, Navy times.co, Britannica.co, NK News, The Guardian, Independent.co.uk
