Share
The investigation into an explosion in the harbor of Lebanon’s port city of Beirut is focusing on how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilizers, came to be stored at the facility for six years, and why nothing was done about it.
The explosion Tuesday blasted a crater into the port and hit the city like a freight train, killing more than 100 people and injuring thousands. Buildings were damaged for miles around the city. Some other recent deadly explosions involving ammonium nitrate:
Aug. 12, 2015: A massive warehouse explosion rocked the port city of Tianjin, China, killing 173 people and injuring nearly 800. Investigators found the warehouse held illegal stores of ammonium nitrate, which caught fire and caused a series of blasts.
___
April 17, 2013: A fire intentionally set at the West Fertilizer Co. facility in West, Texas, caused ammonium nitrate to ignite, triggering a massive explosion that killed 15 people, injured at least 236 and left part of the small town in ruins. The fire ignited in a seed room and quickly engulfed an area where ammonium nitrate was stored in wooden containers.
___
April 22, 2004: An explosion in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, near the border with China, killed 161 people and injured 1,300. It was believed to have been sparked by a train laden with oil and chemicals hitting power lines. North Korea blamed the explosion on “electrical contact caused by carelessness during the shunting of wagons loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer.”
___
Oct. 12, 2002: A series of nightclub bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali killed 202 people, mostly Western tourists. According to investigators, the primary ingredient of the main bomb that tore through the popular Kuta nightclub district was ammonium nitrate.
___
Sept. 21, 2001: A chemical plant explosion in Toulouse, France killed 31 and injured some 2,000. A 2006 report by judicial investigators blamed the blast on negligence that allowed ammonium nitrate to come into contact with other chemicals in the AZF plant, a subsidiary of oil giant Total.
___
April 19, 1995: The deliberate explosion of a 4,800-pound (2,200-kilogram), fertilizer-and-fuel-oil bomb in a rented Ryder truck parked outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City killed 168 people and injured more than 500. Ammonium nitrate was found to be the main ingredient. Hatred of the federal government motivated former Army soldier Timothy McVeigh and his co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, to commit what many experts still refer to as the deadliest act of domestic terrorism on U.S. soil.
Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital
3 hours ago
Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington
10 hours ago
US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship
10 hours ago
Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers
10 hours ago
Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think
10 hours ago
Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success
10 hours ago
Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis
3 hours ago
Categories

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington
