Beirut

[rickbb]

I find it remarkable that it was 1/5 the size of Hiroshima yes the casualty count was significantly less.

Hiroshima was detonated about 1,000 feet in the air and was about 1 million degrees hot at the core. This was ground level, at the port, facing the sea, behind concrete grain storage silos and only a few thousand degrees hot at the core. Makes a big difference.

Initial reports indicate the cause was a fire at a fireworks storage room in the same customs storage warehouse that was holding the AN.

 

[Jmk88]

Good point.

 

[g_axelsson]

I just heard (from people that used to live i Beirut and close to the port) that many of the inhabitants move to the mountains during summer. So the death toll were kept down since there were fewer people in the town.

Göran