The blast was so loud that people could hear it in Cyprus.
Crikey!
Bad handling, the stuff should have been cut and moved
periodically. But hey, it’s happy where it was...unhunh.
A lot of AN industrial explosions over time so it
wasn’t unknown. just sloppy.
If it is true that this huge dump of nitrate had been left unattended for years then the blast could have been caused by static electric discharge or just chemical deterioration. US liability lawyers are already streaming towards Beirut if Bhopal is any indication.
Reminds me of seeing half a case of very sweaty TNT in
a friends basement 40 years ago. He had a license for it
but had just forgotten it was there.
After I forcefully brought it to his attention ,
he took it out and burned it. It would have wasted
the neighborhood.
Nothing worse than a nitrate headache!