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Beirut explosion has left us speechless

Published : Thursday, 6 August, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 377

Beirut explosion has left us speechless

Beirut explosion has left us speechless

At least 100 people were killed and 4,000 wounded (during the time of this writing) in a massive explosion rocking Beirut last Tuesday. The casualty rate is likely to get higher. Even though no party has claimed responsibility, but the atomic-like blast has torn apart a big chunk of the capital city resulting in a mild tremor felt in nearby countries too.

We share the unimaginable grief suffered by the Lebanese people. Property worth billions has been damaged or destroyed. The explosion has left us speechless. We are astonished and have no words to express our condolence.  

The blast was reportedly caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse. The chemical is used both as a fertiliser as well as an explosive. However, media reports have suggested that the huge cache of the chemical was stored dangerously at a warehouse near the city centre, and the huge amount of substance was seized way back in 2013-14.

It is not understandable, why such a huge quantity of flammable and explosive substance was stored for such a long-time without any precautionary and protective measures?

Beirut-dwellers had not only become the victims, 2 Bangladeshi nationals also died while injuring as many as 21 members of Bangladesh Navy from the catastrophic blast.

During the explosion, twenty-one members of Bangladesh Navy Ship "Bijoy" were deployed under a peacekeeping mission of UNIFIL's Maritime Task Force. However, the scale of damage could well have been shattering even further. There are some 160,000 Bangladeshis in Lebanon. There could be others injured but there is still no confirmed report so far.

The explosion comes at a sensitive time for Lebanon. With COVID-19 infections on the rise, hospitals in that country are already struggling. Now, they are faced with treating thousands of injured people. We pray for the Lebanese people to gather courage in the time of this unprecedented crisis.

From a technical perspective, ammonium nitrate could only be turned into an explosive substance under certain circumstances. It is relatively safe under proper conditions in confined space, but when contaminated with items such as fuel oil it could cause an explosion.

An investigation is underway, but the actual cause behind the avoidable explosion must come under the light as soon possible. Also, we wouldn't be surprised if terrorists and extremists are somehow involved behind the explosion.

Storage of hundreds of tonnes of seized Ammonium Nitrate at a vulnerable state remained an open secret to many and for too long. Additionally, an expert terrorist armed with knowledge on explosives, needs little to set off an explosion at a poorly protected warehouse.

Whatever the cause behind the Beirut explosion may be, we must draw lessons about all explosive substances stored in our warehouses too. Our chemical warehouses at Old Dhaka have recorded a number of avoidable explosions and deaths in the past.  

Finally, we all await the answer to the question - what had triggered the Beirut explosion?






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