Any sufficiently powerful explosion will create a mushroom cloud. The videos of that one are scary as hell. If there's a lesson to learn here for all these bystanders filming, if you see something like this go off, don't just stand like a moron and film, duck for cover, you have only a few seconds to do so.
Also there was a similar if not bigger explosion in 2015 in China, compare to the skyscrappers:
Tianjin blasts: eyewitnesses capture explosions on film, then flee – video
A video filmed by stunned eyewitness, Dan Van Duren, captures the moment huge explosions tore through an industrial area in Chinese port city Tianjinwww.theguardian.com
I wonder how the responsibles can be so irresponsible.
In any case, people react most of the time after the disaster, and take adequate measures for the future.Policy of the coffin, don't do anything that doesn't seem essential until proved otherwise.
The reason being that if you do something out of precaution, it can be argued that it is not necessary and a waste of money and energy.
If, because of the precautionary actions you took nothing happens, people will argue that nothing would have happened anyway and thus proving the point that whatever cautionary actions you took where unnecessary and a waste of money and energy.
IF you decide to do nothing, and something happens with devastating consequences because it was decided to postpone indefinitely any precautionary measures, the same people that argued that it wasn't necessary will call you out for doing nothing.
In short, damned if you do, damned if you don't.
It is sadly a thing with humans that if something happens because you didn't do something, it's more easily excused than if something happened because you DID something, so it's our nature not to do anything preemptively...Policy of the coffin, don't do anything that doesn't seem essential until proved otherwise.
The reason being that if you do something out of precaution, it can be argued that it is not necessary and a waste of money and energy.
If, because of the precautionary actions you took nothing happens, people will argue that nothing would have happened anyway and thus proving the point that whatever cautionary actions you took where unnecessary and a waste of money and energy.
IF you decide to do nothing, and something happens with devastating consequences because it was decided to postpone indefinitely any precautionary measures, the same people that argued that it wasn't necessary will call you out for doing nothing.
In short, damned if you do, damned if you don't.
It is sadly a thing with humans that if something happens because you didn't do something, it's more easily excused than if something happened because you DID something, so it's our nature not to do anything preemptively...
Also, I've read somebody doing the math, measuring the crater and the fireball of the explosion, estimating it at around 10-30kt TNT. That's more than some tactical nukes.
I don't know. Seems pretty leveled to me. There's not much left in a 2 mile radius.
Oh, from this angle the carnage really doesn't look that bad. Well, I mean, nobody has windows and who knows how many buildings have been structurally damaged, but the main carnage does seem more contained to the docks than I previously thought. Thanks for this photo.
Comparing the TNT equivalent isn't really worth it either, a 1kt in a position that enables the explosion it can be as destructive as a 10kt yield in a position that inhibits the explosion.
The TNT equivalent itself is just the converted energy, not the actual effect it has on the environment.
That said, 10kt would've probably turned that grain silo alongside with a good bit of the port into a projectile and toppled a lot more buildings.
Yes, the power of the explosion was evaluated at 1.155 kilotons of TNT.
www.bbc.co.uk
I'm not sure if the people filming survived this
