The huge explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital on Tuesday is thought to have been caused by ammonium nitrate. The chemical is often used as fertilizer — and in explosives.
Image: Imago Images/Z. Tamanna
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Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab says he believes Tuesday's explosion in Beirut could have been caused by large quantities of ammonium nitrate stored in the port.
The ammonium nitrate in question was said to have been brought to the Lebanese capital on a freight ship that was impounded for safety reasons in 2013. It had been en route from Georgia to Mozambique.
Diab said about 2,750 metric tons (3,025 short tons) of the highly explosive chemical had been stored at the port since then without the necessary safety precautions in place.
The blast was so powerful that it could be heard in Cyprus, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the west, media reported.
What is ammonium nitrate?
Ammonium nitrate is a white crystalline salt that can be fairly cheaply produced from ammonia and nitric acid. It is soluble and often used as fertilizer, as nitrogen is needed for healthy plant development.
The port was completely destroyed by the explosionImage: Getty Images/AFP/STR
Ammonium nitrate in its pure form is not dangerous. It is, however, heat sensitive. At 32.2 degrees Celsius (89.96 degrees Fahrenheit), ammonium nitrate changes its atomic structure, which in turn changes its chemical properties.
When large quantities of ammonium nitrate are stored in one place, heat is generated. If the amount is sufficiently vast, it can cause the chemical to ignite. Once a temperature of 170 C is reached, ammonium nitrate starts breaking down, emitting nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas. Any sudden ignition causes ammonium nitrate to decompose directly into water, nitrogen and oxygen, which explains the enormous explosive power of the salt.
Deadly disasters
As ammonium nitrate is a highly explosive chemical, many countries strictly regulate its use. Over the past 100 years, there have been several disasters involving the chemical.
In 1921, for example, a massive blast occurred at a BASF chemical plant in Ludwigshafen in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. About 400 metric tons of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate exploded, killing 559 people and injuring 1,977. The plant was largely destroyed in the blast, which could be heard as far away as Munich, some 300 kilometers distant.
The 2015 explosion in Tianjin caused widespread destruction in the cityImage: Reuters/Stringer
In 2015, explosions caused by ammonium nitrate ripped through the Chinese port city of Tianjin. Eight hundred metric tons of the chemical were said to have been stored along with other substances in a warehouse for hazardous materials. The blasts killed 173 people and destroyed an entire city district.
Two years earlier, in 2013, an ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company site in the US state of Texas, killing 14 people. And in 2001, 31 people died in Toulouse, France, in an explosion caused by the chemical.
Terrorist favorite
In Germany, the purchase and use of ammonium nitrate is regulated by the explosives act. This is because the cheap, highly explosive and relatively easily obtainable material has in the past been used by terrorists to carry out attacks.
For example, in 1995, US conspiracy theorist and gun enthusiast Timothy McVeigh used a mixture of ammonium nitrate and other substances to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik also used ammonium nitrate in a car bomb attack in Oslo in 2011.
In pictures: Beirut blast aftermath — destruction, chaos and protests
A powerful explosion rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing at least 150 people and injuring thousands more. Residents have taken to the streets to demand government reforms and resignations over the blast.
Image: Getty Images/D. Carde
Panic in Beirut
Two immense blasts shook Beirut and the surrounding areas of the Lebanese capital, prompting panic as residents rushed to safety. "I have never in my life seen a disaster this big," Beirut's governor told local TV.
Image: Reuters/M. Azakir
Blasts felt in city's outskirts
The explosions, centered in Beirut's port region, were felt throughout the capital. Even residents in the city's outskirts reported hearing the blast, with some saying their windows were shattered.
Image: Reuters/K. Sokhn
Dozens killed, thousands injured
Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 others were injured.
Image: Reuters/M. Azakir
'Unacceptable' ammonium nitrate stock
Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that a large stockpile of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse at the port had caused the second, larger explosion. "It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures," Diab said.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR
Race to save survivors
More than 30 Red Cross teams raced to the scene, with many locals lending a hand to aid rescue efforts. Hospitals warned that they were quickly filled beyond capacity — and called for blood donations as well as generators to help keep the electricity on.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/H. Shbaro
Felt as far away as Cyprus
The blasts struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany's
geosciences center GFZ. Residents in Cyprus, some 110 miles (180 km) across the sea from Beirut, reported hearing and feeling the blast.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR
People are 'asking for their loved ones'
DW's Bassel Aridi said people were using social media to try to track down their loved ones after the explosions. Aridi also visited a hospital in Beirut after the blasts. "What I saw in the hospital was so dramatic. All the hospitals have announced that they are totally overloaded."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Ammar
Two-week state of emergency
Lebanese authorities fear many more people are buried beneath rubble. President Michel Aoun scheduled an emergency Cabinet meeting for Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR
Lebanon faces double-blow
The devastating blasts come as Lebanon experiences severe economic turbulence, with many people taking to the streets in recent months to protest the financial situation. Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion.
Image: Getty Images/D. Carde
Protesters demand reforms and resignations
Thousands of protesters took to the streets four days after the explosion, blaming the blast on government corruption and mismanagement boiling. Protesters demanded government resignations and fresh elections, with many occupying government ministries. Police responded with tear gas.
Image: Reuters/G. Tomasevic
First resignation
Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad became the first government minister to resign in the wake of the blast, five days after it took place. "After the enormous Beirut catastrophe, I announce my resignation from government," she said in a statement carried by local media. She apologized to the people of Beirut for failing them.
