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5000+ injuries (including relatives of mine) and more than 500 dead.
The scale is hard to take in, it's petrifying.
I hadn't heard of it until I read this article on the explosion in West (which I'd recommend, although it is a long read):
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-03/west-texas-the-town-that-blew-upThe article talks about the Oppau explosion in Germany in 1921, which seems very similar - nearly 600 people were killed in that too.
The depressing thing about the West explosion is that, getting on for a century later, it seems we still haven't learnt to treat ammonium nitrate with respect.
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The scale is hard to take in, it's petrifying.
I hadn't heard of it until I read this article on the explosion in West (which I'd recommend, although it is a long read):
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-03/west-texas-the-town-that-blew-upThe article talks about the Oppau explosion in Germany in 1921, which seems very similar - nearly 600 people were killed in that too.
The depressing thing about the West explosion is that, getting on for a century later, it seems we still haven't learnt to treat ammonium nitrate with respect.
Compare it to the biggest non-nuclear explosion ever, simply mind-boggling and utterly tragic.
Aroogah
spindrift
Fox
ayrton
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About
How not to lock your anchor
Posted by
@Mr_Sworld
The Texas City disaster, the deadliest industrial accident in US history, started with a fire on board the SS Grandcamp, a Liberty ship carrying about 2,300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. When the cargo detonated, it caused one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever and killed nearly 600 people.
The two-ton anchor of Grandcamp was hurled 1.62 miles (2.61 km) and found in a 10-foot (3 m) crater. It now rests in a memorial park.
The other main five-ton anchor was hurled 1/2 mile (800 m) to the entrance of the Texas City Dike, and rests on a Texas shaped memorial at the entrance.
#hownottolockyouranchor