List of ammonium nitrate incidents and disasters

Last updated

When heated, ammonium nitrate decomposes non-explosively into nitrous oxide and water vapor; however, it can be induced to decompose explosively by detonation into oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor. Large stockpiles of the material can be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, and may also detonate, as happened in the Texas City disaster of 1947 which led to major changes in the regulations for storage and handling.

Contents

There are two major classes of incidents resulting in explosions:

Ammonium nitrate decomposes in temperatures above 169 °C (336 °F). Pure AN is stable and will stop decomposing once the heat source is removed, but when catalysts are present, the reaction can become self-sustaining (known as self-sustaining decomposition, or SSD). This is a well-known hazard with some types of NPK fertilizers and is responsible for the loss of several cargo ships.

Timeline of major incidents

The column AN states the amount of ammonium nitrate consumed in the disaster in metric tonnes.

CountryLocationDateDeathsAN (tonnes)Notes
Flag of the United States.svg United States Gibbstown, New JerseyJanuary 14, 191611.81In an evaporating pan of the Repauno works, du Pont Co., 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) of ammonium nitrate exploded, possibly caused by a clogged air lance leading to overheating of the nitrate. 1 man was killed and 12 were injured. [1]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Faversham, KentApril 2, 1916115700 The Great Explosion: On April 2, 1916, at 14:20, a factory in Uplees, Faversham, exploded after a fire spread to a store of 25 tons of TNT and 700 tons of ammonium nitrate. The blast at the Explosives Loading Company killed 115 people and shattered windows in Southend-on-Sea across the Thames Estuary while the tremor was felt in Norwich. [2]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Oakdale, PennsylvaniaSeptember 15, 191661.36An Aetna Chemical Co. plant suffered an explosion of 1,400 kilograms (3,000 lb) of ammonium nitrate, while concentrating it in a pan by evaporation. The speculated cause was impurities within the nitric acid used to produce the ammonium nitrate. Six men were killed and eight injured. The shock wave was felt at a distance of 11 kilometres (7 mi). [1]
Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Germany Kriewald July 26, 19211930On July 26, 1921, in this railway town (now in Poland) workers tried to dislodge 30 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had aggregated (solidified into one mass) in two wagons. When mining explosives were used on this solid mass the wagons exploded and killed nineteen people.[ citation needed ]
Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg Germany Oppau September 21, 1921561450 Explosion at BASF plant Oppau: Another attempt at disaggregation of a fertilizer mix with industrial explosives caused the death of 561 people and left more than 2,000 injured. The explosion happened at 7:32 a.m. The fertilizer was a 50:50 mixture of ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate and the factory had used this method of disaggregation over 20,000 times without incident. It is thought that, on this occasion, poor mixing had led to certain parts of the mass containing more ammonium nitrate than others. Only 450 tonnes exploded, out of 4500 tonnes of fertilizer stored in the warehouse. [3] [4]
Flag of the United States.svg United StatesNixon, New Jersey
(now Edison Township)
March 1, 1924202 1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster: On March 1, 1924, at 11:15 a.m., a fire and several large explosions destroyed a warehouse containing 2,200 kilograms (4,800 lb) of ammonium nitrate at the Nixon Nitration Works. The explosiveness of the product was perhaps enhanced, as it had been prepared using nitric acid that had previously been used for the production of TNT. [1]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Muscle Shoals, AlabamaMay 3, 19250On April 4, 1925, and May 3, 1925, two carloads, each containing 220 barrels of ammonium nitrate, were dispatched from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and caught fire in transportation. The barrels had been stored in a warehouse with varying humidity for 6 years, so it is believed that they were ignited by friction with their nitrate-impregnated manila paper lining. Other shipments were reportedly more successful. [5]
Flag of France.svg France Miramas August 5, 19400240240 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in sacks exploded after being hit by a shell from a nearby fire in a munitions train. [6]
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium Tessenderlo April 29, 1942189150An attempt to disaggregate a pile of 150 tonnes of ammonium nitrate with industrial explosives killed 189 people and wounded another 900. [7]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Texas City April 16, 19475812,086 +

870

Texas City disaster: The cargo ship Grandcamp was being loaded on April 16, 1947, when a fire was detected in the hold: at this point, 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate in sacks were already aboard. [8] The captain responded by closing the hold and pumping in pressurised steam. At 9:12, the ship exploded, killing several hundred people and setting fire to another vessel, the High Flyer, which was moored 250 metres away and which contained 1,050 tonnes of sulfur and 960 tons of ammonium nitrate. The Grandcamp explosion also created a powerful earthshock that broke windows as far as 64 kilometres (40 mi) away and knocked two small planes flying at 460 metres (1,500 ft) out of the sky. The High Flyer exploded the next day, after having burned for sixteen hours. 500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate on the quayside also burned, but without exploding, probably because it was less tightly packed. All but one member of the Texas City fire department died.
Flag of France.svg France Brest July 28, 1947291,700-3,309The Norwegian cargo ship Ocean Liberty was loaded with 3,309 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and various flammable products when it caught fire at 12:30 July 28, 1947. The captain ordered the hold to be sealed and pressurised steam was pumped in. As this did not stop the fire, the vessel was towed out of the harbour at 14:00, and exploded at 17:00. The explosion caused 29 deaths and serious damage to the port of Brest. [1] [9] [10]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Presque Isle, MaineAugust 26, 19470217An A.W. Higgins Company plant was destroyed by a spontaneous heating in a pile of mixed fertilizer. Stored in the plant were 240 tons of ammonium nitrate. [1]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada St. Stephen, New Brunswick19470360The Summers Fertilizer Company plant suffered a fire, causing 400 tons of stored ammonium nitrate to be consumed by fire. There was no explosion. [1]
- Red Sea January 23, 19530A fire was detected on the Finnish cargo ship Tirrenia on January 23, 1953, while it was carrying ammonium nitrate. Attempts to extinguish the fire with steam were unsuccessful, and the ship was abandoned before it exploded later in the night. [11]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Roseburg, OregonAugust 7, 1959144.1 The Roseburg Blast: A truck carrying dynamite and 4.5 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire early in the morning of August 7, 1959. The explosion happened at 1:14 a.m. and killed 14 people and injured 125 more. Several blocks of downtown Roseburg were destroyed. The accident is locally referred to as "The Blast". [12]
Flag of the United States.svg United StatesTraskwood, Arkansas December 17, 19600140-180On December 17, 1960, a 96 freight car train suffered partial derailment, in which the last 23 cars were derailed. The derailed cars included: four fuel oil tank cars, two tank cars of gasoline, three tank cars of petroleum oil, four cars of lube oil drums, three cars of liquid fertilizer, one car of fuming nitric acid and two cars of fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate. In this particular accident, neither car of ammonium nitrate exploded. [13] However, the nitric acid reacted with the fuel oil, possibly creating nitrated aromatic compounds, whose explosion resulted in the spread of the ammonium nitrate material around the incident site. [14]
Flag of Finland.svg Finland Oulu January 9, 19631010On January 9, 1963, an explosion at the Typpi Oy industrial site in the Takalaanila neighborhood of Oulu killed ten people. The accident happened past midnight, at 12:54 AM. The blast shattered hundreds of windows in the city center, over two kilometers away, and hurled bricks and chunks of concrete several kilometers away. The blast was heard 45 km (28 mi) away, and registered by the seismographs at the Sodankylä geophysical observatory, over 270 km (170 mi) away. [15] The cause of the explosion was the ignition of ammonium nitrate used as raw material for fertilizer and explosives.
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Taroom, QueenslandAugust 30, 1972312In the 1972 Taroom explosion, a truck carrying 12 tons of ammonium nitrate experienced an electrical fault and caught fire north of Taroom, Queensland. After the driver stopped and parked the burning truck, two brothers from a nearby cattle property who saw the fire rode up on motorbikes to assist. The three men were killed when the truck exploded at around 18:15. The explosion burnt out more than 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of surrounding bushland, and left a deep crater where the truck had been parked. A memorial to the three men was unveiled at the accident site in 2013. [16] [17] [18] [19]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Kansas City, MissouriNovember 29, 1988623 (ANFO)On November 29, 1988, at 4:07 AM two trailers containing approximately 23,000 kg (50,000 lb) of the explosive ANFO (ammonium nitrate with fuel oil) exploded at a construction site located near the 87th street exit of Highway 71 in Kansas City, Missouri. The explosives were to be used in the blasting of rock while constructing Highway 71. The result of the explosions were the deaths of six firemen from the Kansas City Fire Department's Pumper Companies 30 and 41. Both companies were dispatched after 911 calls indicated that a pickup truck located near the trailers had been set on fire. The responding companies were warned that there were explosives on-site; however, they were unaware that the trailers were essentially magazines filled with explosives. At 4:07 AM one of the "magazines" caught fire and a catastrophic explosion occurred, killing all six firemen instantly — only sparing remains were found. A second blast occurred 40 minutes later, although all fire crews had been pulled back at this time. The blasts created two craters, each approximately 30 metres (100 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (8 ft) deep. The explosions also shattered windows within a 16-kilometre (10 mi) area and could be heard 64 kilometres (40 mi) away. It was later determined that the explosions were acts of arson, set by individuals embroiled in a labor dispute with the construction company contracted to build the highway. [20] [21]
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New Guinea Porgera Gold Mine August 2, 19941180 (ANE)At 9:45 am, 2 August 1994, 11 workers were killed when the sensitised AN emulsion plant they were working on exploded at the Porgera Gold Mine. The fatal explosion involved at most a few tonnes of explosive. A larger explosion of about 80 tonnes of ammonium nitrate emulsion, ANE, an emulsion of ammonium nitrate, fuel and water, UN 3375) was caused by fires under storage facilities at the site at 11:02 AM. There were no fatalities in the second explosion because the site had been evacuated. A mushroom cloud was seen to rise. [22]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Port Neal, IowaDecember 13, 19944 Port Neal fertilizer plant explosion: At about 6:06 AM on December 13, 1994, two explosions rocked the Port Neal, Iowa, ammonium nitrate processing plant operated by Terra Industries. Four people were killed and 18 injured. Approximately 5,700 tons of anhydrous ammonia were released and releases of ammonia continued for six days after the explosions. Groundwater under the processing plant was contaminated by chemicals released as a result of the blast. The timing of the explosion occurred prior to the start of the arrival of the 8:00 AM shift personnel, or the death toll might have been larger. [23] [24]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Xingping, Shaanxi January 6, 19982227.6At 23:03 on January 6, 1998, the Xinghua Fertilizer company had a series of explosions in the plant. About 27.6 tons of ammonium nitrate liquor was in a container there. The explosion claimed 22 lives, with a further 56 wounded. The explosion was officially announced as an accident. [25] [ citation needed ]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Shijiazhuang, Hebei March 16, 2001108 2001 Shijiazhuang bombings: A man motivated by hatred of his ex-wife and her family detonated ammonium nitrate bombs at four locations across Shijiazhuang, killing 108 people and injuring 38 others. [26]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Yan'an, ShaanxiJuly 16, 200189+30+ Mafang Village explosion: On July 16, 2001, an embittered villager ignited ammonium nitrate explosives in a rival's warehouse. The explosion leveled much of the village and killed at least 89 people, and injured 98 others. [27]
Flag of France.svg France Toulouse September 21, 200131200-300 AZF: On September 21, 2001, at 10:15 AM, in the AZF (Azote de France) fertiliser factory in Toulouse, France, an explosion occurred in a warehouse where the off-specification granular AN was stored flat, separated by partitions. About 200–300 tonnes were said to be involved in the explosion, resulting in 31 people dead and 2,442 injured, 34 of them seriously. The blast wave shattered windows up to 3 km (1.9 mi) away, and the resulting crater was 7 m deep and 60 m wide. The exact cause remains unknown. The material damage was estimated at 2.3  billion euros. France's Environment Minister initially suggested the explosion "may have been a terrorist attack" as it occurred soon after the September 11 attacks and one deceased worker may have had militant views.
Flag of Spain.svg Spain Cartagena, Murcia January 20030The fertilizer storage facility of Fertiberia held a self-sustained decomposition (SSD) fire in January 2003. The fire was controlled after most of the material was removed by mechanical means.[ citation needed ]
Flag of France.svg France Saint-Romain-en-Jarez October 2, 200303-5A fire broke out in Saint-Romain-en-Jarez (Loire) in a barn, which at the time of the accident contained a gasoline-powered forklift, a battery charger, two 13-kg gas bottles, miscellaneous farm machinery, 500 kg of quicklime, 500 wooden crates, 6,000 to 7,000 plastic crates, and between 3 and 5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate packaged in big bags. Bales of hay and straw were being stored on the mezzanine and ≈500 kg apples kept in the cold storage rooms. The fire started around 3 PM, and fire-fighters were notified of the blaze at 4:02 PM. They arrived on the scene at 4:23 and started to extinguish the fire. At 5:12 PM the explosion occurred. Twenty-six people were injured from the blast, most of them fire-fighters. [28]
Flag of Spain.svg Spain Barracas March 9, 2004225A truck carrying 25 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded half an hour after a traffic accident on March 9, 2004 at 12:45, killing two people and injuring five others. The explosion, which could be heard at a distance of several kilometers caused a crater five metres deep. [29]
Flag of Romania.svg Romania Mihăileşti, Buzău May 24, 20041820 Mihăileşti explosion: A truck carrying 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate tipped over on the European road E85 near Mihăileşti at 4:57 AM on May 24, 2004. Shortly afterwards, a fire started in the cabin. Two reporters got to the site of the accident and started filming while firemen were trying to stop the fire. Around 5:50 AM the truck exploded, killing 18 and wounding 13 people. A crater 6.5 meters deep and 42 meters in diameter was formed by the explosion.
Flag of North Korea.svg North Korea Ryongchŏn April 22, 2004162 Ryongchon disaster: A freight train carrying ammonium nitrate exploded in this important railway town near the Chinese border on April 22, 2004 at around 13:00, killing 162 people and injuring over 3,000 others. The train station was destroyed, as were most buildings within 500 metres, and nearly 8,000 homes were destroyed or damaged. Two craters of about ten metres in depth were seen at the site of the explosion. The authorities blamed "human error" for the explosion, although rumours persist that it was in fact an attempt to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who was due to be passing through the station at the time.
Flag of Spain.svg Spain Estaca de Bares 20070400The NPK fertilizer cargo of the ship Ostedijk sustained a self-sustained decomposition (SSD) fire for 11 days. The ship carried a total of 6012 tonnes of NPK. Cargo hold 2, where the decomposition occurred, contained 2627 tonnes of fertilizer. NPK fertilizer contains about 15% ammonium nitrate. The fire plume reached 10 m in diameter and several hundred meters in length. Special water spears were inserted inside the cargo to extinguish the fire. [30]
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico Monclova, Coahuila September 9, 20072822 (ANFO)On September 9, 2007, at around 20:00, near Monclova, Coahuila, México, a pickup truck lost control and crashed into a trailer loaded with 22 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil explosives (ANFO) leaving three occupants in the pick-up truck dead in the crash. A fire then started in the trailer's cabin and at around 20:43, a huge explosion occurred, resulting in 28 deaths and around 150 more people injured. A crater 9 m (30 ft) wide and 1.8 m (6 ft) deep was created due to the explosion. [31] [32]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Bryan, TexasJuly 30, 20090A plant in Bryan, Texas (El Dorado Chemical Company), which processes ammonium nitrate into fertilizer, caught fire at about 11:40 AM on July 30, 2009. Over 80,000 residents in the Bryan/College Station area were asked to evacuate south of town due to the toxic fumes this fire generated. Texas A&M University provided shelter at Reed Arena, a local venue on campus. Only minor injuries were reported. [33] [34]
Flag of Norway.svg Norway Oslo, NorwayJuly 22, 20118 2011 Norway attacks: A government building was bombed with a truck carrying ammonium nitrate by terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, killing 8 people and injuring 210+ people before opening fire at a summer camp at Utøya, killing 67 and injuring 32 before being arrested. In all 77 people were killed, including two indirectly, and 320 people were injured all together in the attacks.
Flag of the United States.svg United States West, TexasApril 17, 201315240 West Fertilizer Company explosion: A fertilizer company in West, Texas, caught fire. At around 19:50, ammonium nitrate stored there exploded, leveling roughly 80 homes and a middle school. 133 residents of a nearby nursing home were trapped in the ruins. In all, 15 were killed, and about 200 injured. There were reports that the facility had stored more ammonium nitrate than it was allowed to, without regulation by the Department of Homeland Security. [35] [36]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Wyandra, QueenslandSeptember 5, 2014056A truck carrying 56 tonnes rolled on a rural road, exploding shortly after the driver was rescued. There were two explosions, at 22:11 and 22:12, and they were heard 30 km (19 mi) away with debris being thrown 2 km (1.2 mi), it totally destroyed a highway bridge. The driver and six firemen were injured. [37] [38]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China Port of Tianjin August 12, 2015173800 2015 Tianjin explosions: Nitrocellulose stored at a hazardous goods warehouse spontaneously combusted after becoming overly hot and dry, resulting in a fire that 40 minutes later, at around 23:30, triggered the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored nearby. 110 emergency personnel and 55 residents and employees were killed, while eight are missing[ needs update ]. 798 people were injured. [39] There was extensive damage to structures and goods at the port, damage to surrounding apartment blocks, and severe damage to a railway station. On August 15, 2015, there were again 8 consecutive explosions, at around 23:40.
Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon Beirut August 4, 20202182,750 2020 Beirut explosion: On August 4, a major fire broke out in a Port of Beirut warehouse and spread to 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which had been impounded and stored for six years after it was seized from an abandoned ship in 2014. [40] [41] The explosion happened at 18:10, causing immense damage throughout the entire city from the shock wave that was reportedly so intense it was felt in Cyprus, an island about 250 kilometres (160 mi) north-west of Lebanon. [42] A giant orange cloud was seen following the detonation. As of August 20, 2020, there are at least 6500 confirmed injuries and over 200 confirmed deaths. [43] [44] According to Beirut's city governor, up to 300,000 people have lost their homes. [43] The yield of the explosion in terms of TNT equivalent mass was estimated to be 0.5 kilotons as a "best estimate" and 1.12 kilotons as a "reasonable upper bound estimate", a study from the Blast and Impact Research Group at the University of Sheffield shows. [45]
Flag of the United States.svg United States Winston-Salem, North CarolinaJanuary 31, 20220A fire which began January 31, 2022 destroyed the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. An hour after firefighters arrived it was determined a railroad car near the building contained 82 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, and after studying the West Fertilizer Company explosion, those in charge learned from plant officials that more than 450 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored in the plant. Firefighters were evacuated and for a one-point-six-kilometre (1 mi) radius around the plant, residents were asked to leave [46] because city fire chief Trey Mayo feared "one of the worst explosions in U.S. history". Residents were able to return home February 3, though a mandatory evacuation was considered. By February 7, investigators could enter the plant. [47]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Bororen, QueenslandAugust 30, 2024142.5 2024 Bruce Highway explosion: A utility vehicle crashed head-on with a truck transporting 41 tonnes of ammonium nitrate near Bororen, Queensland killing the driver of the utility vehicle and seriously injuring the truck driver. [48] [49] The crash caused the tanker to leak ammonium nitrate onto the Bruce Highway which caught fire shortly after. [50] First responders noted that the leaked chemicals were on fire [50] and ordered an evacuation of every person in a 2.5 kilometer radius of the crash. [51] First responders made the decision to not extinguish the fire because of the inherent risk. [50] The ammonium nitrate exploded almost 5 hours later. [50]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dynamite</span> Explosive made using nitroglycerin

Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents, and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and was patented in 1867. It rapidly gained wide-scale use as a more robust alternative to the traditional black powder explosives. It allows the use of nitroglycerine's favorable explosive properties while greatly reducing its risk of accidental detonation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Explosive</span> Substance that can explode

An explosive is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An explosive charge is a measured quantity of explosive material, which may either be composed solely of one ingredient or be a mixture containing at least two substances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TNT</span> Impact-resistant high explosive

Trinitrotoluene, more commonly known as TNT (and more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagent in chemical synthesis, but it is best known as an explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered to be the standard comparative convention of bombs and asteroid impacts. In chemistry, TNT is used to generate charge transfer salts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium nitrate</span> Chemical compound with formula NH4NO3

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula NH4NO3. It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ANFO</span> Explosive

ANFO ( AN-foh) (or AN/FO, for ammonium nitrate/fuel oil) is a widely used bulk industrial high explosive. It consists of 94% porous prilled ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) (AN), which acts as the oxidizing agent and absorbent for the fuel, and 6% number 2 fuel oil (FO). The use of ANFO originated in the 1950s.

Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH
3
NO
2
. It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. As an intermediate in organic synthesis, it is used widely in the manufacture of pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings. Nitromethane is used as a fuel additive in various motorsports and hobbies, e.g. Top Fuel drag racing and miniature internal combustion engines in radio control, control line and free flight model aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas City disaster</span> 1947 explosions at Texas City, Texas

The 1947 Texas City disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947, in the port of Texas City, Texas, United States, located in Galveston Bay. It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amatol</span> High explosive mixture

Amatol is a highly explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate. The British name originates from the words ammonium and toluene. Similar mixtures were known as Schneiderite in France. Amatol was used extensively during World War I and World War II, typically as an explosive in military weapons such as aircraft bombs, shells, depth charges, and naval mines. It was eventually replaced with alternative explosives such as Composition B, Torpex, and Tritonal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Beirut</span> Port in Lebanon and quarter of Beirut

The Port of Beirut is the main port in Lebanon on the eastern part of the Saint George Bay on Beirut's northern Mediterranean coast, west of the Beirut River. It is one of the largest and busiest ports on the Eastern Mediterranean.

There have been many extremely large explosions, accidental and intentional, caused by modern high explosives, boiling liquid expanding vapour explosions (BLEVEs), older explosives such as gunpowder, volatile petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline, and other chemical reactions. This list contains the largest known examples, sorted by date. An unambiguous ranking in order of severity is not possible; a 1994 study by historian Jay White of 130 large explosions suggested that they need to be ranked by an overall effect of power, quantity, radius, loss of life and property destruction, but concluded that such rankings are difficult to assess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oppau explosion</span> 1921 industrial disaster in present-day Ludwigshafen, Germany

The Oppau explosion occurred on September 21, 1921, when approximately 4,500 tonnes of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer stored in a tower silo exploded at a BASF plant in Oppau, now part of Ludwigshafen, Germany, killing 500–600 people and injuring about 2,000 more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TNT equivalent</span> Class of units of measurement for explosive energy

TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy defined by convention to be 4.184 gigajoules, which is the approximate energy released in the detonation of a metric ton of TNT. In other words, for each gram of TNT exploded, 4.184 kilojoules of energy are released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urea nitrate</span> Chemical compound

Urea nitrate is a fertilizer-based high explosive that has been used in improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and various terrorist acts elsewhere in the world such as in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. It has a destructive power similar to better-known ammonium nitrate explosives, with a velocity of detonation between 3,400 m/s (11,155 ft/s) and 4,700 m/s (15,420 ft/s). It has chemical formula of CH5N3O4 or (NH2)2COHNO3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster</span> Industrial explosion in New Jersey, United States

The 1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster was an explosion and fire that claimed many lives and destroyed several square miles of New Jersey factories. It began on March 1, 1924, about 11:15 a.m., when an explosion destroyed a building in Nixon, New Jersey used for processing ammonium nitrate. The explosion touched off fires in surrounding buildings in the Nixon Nitration Works that contained other highly flammable materials. The disaster killed twenty people, destroyed forty buildings, and demolished the "tiny industrial town of Nixon, New Jersey."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Explosion</span> Sudden release of heat and gas

An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated by a slower expansion that would normally not be forceful, but is not allowed to expand, so that when whatever is containing the expansion is broken by the pressure that builds as the matter inside tries to expand, the matter expands forcefully. An example of this is a volcanic eruption created by the expansion of magma in a magma chamber as it rises to the surface. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known as detonations and travel through shock waves. Subsonic explosions are created by low explosives through a slower combustion process known as deflagration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Fertilizer Company explosion</span> 2013 explosion of ammonium nitrate in Texas, USA

On April 17, 2013, an ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility in West, Texas, United States, while emergency services personnel were responding to a fire at the facility. Fifteen people were killed, more than 160 were injured, and more than 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Investigators confirmed that ammonium nitrate was the material that exploded. On May 11, 2016, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stated that the fire had been deliberately set. That finding has been disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Neal fertilizer plant explosion</span> 1994 industrial disaster at Port Neal Complex, Iowa

The Port Neal fertilizer plant explosion occurred on December 13, 1994 in the ammonium nitrate plant at the Terra International, Inc., Port Neal Complex, 16 mi (26 km) south of Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Four workers at the plant were killed by the explosion, and eighteen others were injured. The seven-story building at the seat of the blast was completely destroyed, leaving only a crater, and significant damage was inflicted to the surrounding structures. Four nearby electricity generating stations were disabled by the explosion, and the effects of the blast were felt up to 30 miles away. A high-voltage line running adjacent to the plant and over the Missouri River was damaged, disrupting power in the neighboring state of Nebraska. Two 15,000-ton refrigerated ammonia storage tanks were ruptured, releasing liquid ammonia and ammonia vapors which forced the evacuation of 1,700 residents from the surrounding area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Beirut explosion</span> Ammonium nitrate explosion in Lebanon

On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, as well as leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. A cargo of 2,750 tonnes of the substance had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years after having been confiscated by Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus. The explosion was preceded by a fire in the same warehouse.

MV <i>Rhosus</i> Cargo ship built in 1986, sank in 2018 in Beirut

MV Rhosus was a general cargo ship that was abandoned in Beirut, Lebanon, after the ship was declared unseaworthy and the charterers lost interest in the cargo. The 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which the ship was carrying was confiscated and brought to shore in 2014, and later contributed to the catastrophic 2020 Beirut explosion. The vessel's owner at the time of abandonment was Cyprus-based Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin. The ship sank in the Port of Beirut in 2018.

The 1972 Taroom explosion occurred after a truck carrying ammonium nitrate, an explosive and fertilizer, caught fire on 30 August 1972 near Taroom, Central Queensland, Australia. The explosion, on the Fitzroy Developmental Road near Stonecroft Station, 90 kilometres north-west of Taroom, killed three men.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scott, George Stanley; Grant, R. L. (1948). Ammonium Nitrate: Its Properties and Fire and Explosion Hazards. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
  2. "Tales of horror and heroism after the great explosion". Faversham Times. Faversham. 29 March 2012. p. 8. ProQuest document ID 957148980.
  3. "Explosion in a nitrogenous fertiliser plant 21 September 1921" (PDF). French Ministry of Environment. March 2008. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  4. French Ministry of Environment, Explosion in a nitrogenous fertiliser plant (at this time BASF was occupied by French authorities Archived April 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  5. C. E. Munroe (1925). "Destruction of Muscle Shoals Ammonium Nitrate by Fire and Explosion". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry. 17 (8): 819. doi:10.1021/ie50188a015.
  6. Miramas 1940
  7. Tessenderlo Group
  8. "Texas City, Texas, Disaster". Texas City Firefighters Local 1259. 29 April 1947. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  9. Société Française de Chimie, Explosions Following A Fire: Major Catastrophies Archived December 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. "En 1947, le nitrate d'ammonium impliqué dans une explosion meurtrière au port de Brest". Le Télégramme. 5 August 2020.
  11. Middleton, Ned, Miscellaneous Shipwrecks of the Red Sea Not Found in Egyptian Waters
  12. "1959 Blast | City of Roseburg". www.cityofroseburg.org. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  13. Some Major Hazards in Government-Sponsored Activities, NASA, 1964 Some Major Hazards in Government-Sponsored Activities
  14. "Explosions Following a Fire". The French Chemical Society. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  15. Sankala, Kari (9 January 1999). "Typpi räjähti lähtemättömästi oululaisten mieliin". Kaleva (in Finnish). Oulu . Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  16. Three die in chemical blast Archived 2016-11-11 at the Wayback Machine , The Canberra Times , 1 September 1972. Retrieved 11 November 2016
  17. Fire blamed Archived 2016-11-11 at the Wayback Machine , The Canberra Times , 2 September 1972. Retrieved 11 November 2016
  18. Truck explosion memorial unveiled Archived 2016-11-11 at the Wayback Machine , Jacquie Mackay, Breakfast with Jacquie Mackay, ABC Capricornia, 4 April 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016
  19. Enduring tribute binds community Archived 2016-11-12 at the Wayback Machine , Rebecca Elliot, Central Telegraph, 5 April 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  20. Mike McGraw (18 February 2007). "New Questions In Deadly Blast". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008.
  21. Police Seek Clues In KC Blast Archived 2013-04-25 at the Wayback Machine , Atchison Daily News (via GenDisasters), December 1, 1988.
  22. Inquiry Report Department of Mining and Petroleum, Government of Papua New Guinea 1994
  23. EPA Chemical Accident Investigation Report Terra Industries, Inc., Nitrogen Fertilizer Facility, Port Neal, Iowa Archived 2009-05-10 at the Wayback Machine (PDF available for download at this website)
  24. Exponent Engineering & Scientific Consulting Process Plant Explosion
  25. "In Chinese". Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  26. Tang, Rose (27 March 2001). "Bomber has confessed, China says". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  27. "陕西爆炸案:男子因生意失败,为报复对手引爆30吨炸药,炸死89人". NetEase (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  28. "Fire inside a barn and explosion of fertiliser 2 October 2003 Saint Romain-en-Jarez (Loire) France" (PDF). Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  29. María Fabra (10 March 2004). "Un camión lleno de nitrato estalla tras un choque y causa dos muertos en Castelló". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  30. Hadden, Rory M.; Rein, Guillermo (2011), "Small-scale experiments of self-sustaining decomposition of NPK fertilizer and application to events aboard the Ostedijk in 2007" (PDF), Journal of Hazardous Materials, 186 (1): 731–7, doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.11.047, hdl:20.500.11820/acc131df-4a5b-4096-85c3-2c4e36f5b41e, PMID   21146295, S2CID   18030816
  31. "Internal report into the mexican explosion data" (PDF). Australian Broadcasting Corporation .
  32. McKinley, James C. (10 September 2007). "Truck Explosion in Mexico Kills 37". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  33. "Evacuation Lifted, Fire at Texas Chemical Plant Under Control". Fox News. 30 July 2009.
  34. "El Dorado Chemical Company goes up in smoke!". 3 August 2009.
  35. "West, Texas, Fertilizer Plant Explosion: Some Residents Allowed to Return Home". ABC News . Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  36. "Texas Fertilizer Plant Kept Quiet About Huge Stores Of Explosive Substance". Huffington Post. 20 April 2013.
  37. "Government launches lawsuit over 2014 truck explosion". 10 January 2019.
  38. "Truck explosion injures eight, closes Mitchell Highway". Brisbane Times. 6 September 2014.
  39. "Tianjin Port Accident Investigation Report" (in Chinese). The State Council of the People’s Republic of China. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  40. Urbina, Ian (2 September 2020). "The Disturbing Story Behind the Beirut Port Explosion". The Nation.
  41. Jankowicz, Mia (5 August 2020). "2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate was impounded in Beirut's port after it was seized from an abandoned ship in 2014, years before the explosion". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  42. Alberti, Mia (4 August 2020). "The blast was felt 240 kilometres away from Lebanon". CNN. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  43. 1 2 Gadzo, Mersiha (4 August 2020). "Beirut explosion death toll rises to 135 as 5,000 wounded: Live". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  44. Chulov, Martin; Safi, Michael; Borger, Julian (4 August 2020). "Lebanon: at least 78 killed as huge explosion rocks Beirut". TheGuardian.com . Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  45. Rigby, S. E.; Lodge, T. J.; Alotaibi, S.; Barr, A. D.; Clarke, S. D.; Langdon, G. S.; Tyas, A. (22 September 2020). "Preliminary yield estimation of the 2020 Beirut explosion using video footage from social media" (PDF). Shock Waves. 30 (6): 671–675. Bibcode:2020ShWav..30..671R. doi: 10.1007/s00193-020-00970-z . ISSN   1432-2153.
  46. Young, Wes (9 February 2022). "Winston-Salem Fire Chief: Investigators believe they know where fertilizer plant fire started, but determining cause will take time". Winston-Salem Journal .
  47. Young, Wes (7 February 2022). "Fire investigators begin work in Winston-Salem fertilizer plant ruins". Winston-Salem Journal.
  48. Strohfeldt, Catherine (30 August 2024). "Driver dies after trailer of chemicals explodes in Bruce Highway crash". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  49. "Bruce Highway south of Gladstone to remain closed after truck explosion". ABC News. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  50. 1 2 3 4 "One dead as chemical truck crash causes massive explosion". 7NEWS. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  51. Media, Q. P. S. (30 August 2024). "Fatal traffic crash, Bororen". Queensland Police News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.