How stupid can they be? What nut job would store that much explosive in a population center?
To quote the critical drinker: “Nah. It’ll be fine!”
Some of the victims will never be found. Nothing left to find....................
The Middle East is well known for its wisdom...
What nut job would store that much explosive in a population center?
What I saw reported on YouTube this morning was the it was being smuggled into the country and the government confiscated it. It then got tied up in their court system and the authorities were forbidden to move it.
They (the government) knew the potential dangers but someone with a lot of power prevented moving it.
Sort of sounds like our courts.
[How stupid can they be? What nut job would store that much explosive in a population center?]
Very few laypeople make the connection between fertilizer and explosives. And that’s likely what was at work here. (The Haber process, which revolutionized the production of fertilizer, also had this effect on the production of explosives).
The US, despite (1) a globe-spanning war that saw widespread use of all kinds of volatile chemicals, (2) a massive governmental apparatus that sprang up to fight that war and (3) a general reputation for competence, failed to foresee the Texas disaster. There was no hope that Lebanon, with its mishmash of literally warring tribes, ethnicities and religions, could have foreseen this. Everyone’s too consumed in the day-to-day business of trying not to be stomped by the various protection rackets at work there for anyone to be thinking about the big picture (i.e. things like chemicals, the appropriate storage facilities and environment and a routine inspection regime).
It was a “mostly peaceful” explosion.
The Russians are involved to.
Beirut explosion reportedly caused by fertilizer seized from Russian businessman
https://nypost.com/2020/08/05/beirut-explosion-caused-by-fertilizer-seized-from-russian-businessman-report/