{"id":972,"date":"2020-08-11T01:13:26","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T01:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/?p=972"},"modified":"2023-10-02T20:43:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T20:43:09","slug":"beiruts-devastating-port-explosion-echoes-the-1917-halifax-harbour-blast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/index.php\/2020\/08\/11\/beiruts-devastating-port-explosion-echoes-the-1917-halifax-harbour-blast\/","title":{"rendered":"Beirut\u2019s devastating port explosion echoes the 1917 Halifax Harbour blast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jack L. Rozdilsky<\/a>, York University – The Conversation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the scope of the Aug. 4 explosion at the port of Beirut<\/a> becomes clear, the tolls of the loss of life, injuries, homelessness and property damage are staggering. In the immediate chaos of large explosions, it can be difficult to make sense of what has happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous similarities between the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the 1917 Halifax Harbour Explosion<\/a> that can help us make sense of what has happened in Beirut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, I was part of a group of hazards researchers who met in Halifax to reflect on aspects of the Halifax Explosion for its 100th anniversary<\/a>. Such historical disaster case study information is especially relevant now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The big picture story unfortunately repeats itself: a precarious situation of hazardous materials at an industrial port, circumstances of a fire leading to a massive explosion and a disaster of historical proportions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explosive collision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On the morning of Dec. 6, 1917, a navigation accident occurred where two vessels collided in the narrows of the Halifax Harbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the ships in the collision, the Mont-Blanc<\/a>, was dangerously overladen with hazardous cargo, including explosives in its bulk cargo hold and barrels of petrochemicals on the deck. When another ship, the Imo<\/a>, accidentally struck the Mont-Blanc\u2019s bow, sparks from the grinding metal ignited a fire on the deck. The fire burned for about 20 minutes until a violent chemical chain reaction ignited. At 9:04 am local time, the Mont-Blanc\u2019s 2,925 tonnes of explosives on board detonated violently<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read more: Beirut explosion: the disaster was exceptional but events leading up to it were not \u2013 researchers<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
A monument for the 1917 Halifax explosion featuring an anchor blown over three kilometres from the harbour explosion site. (Jack Rozdilsky), Author provided<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While most of the Mont Blanc was vaporized in the blast, the ship\u2019s 517-kilogram anchor shaft was propelled approximately four kilometres from the point of the explosion. It is now part of a historical monument which attests to the power of the blast<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the explosion\u2019s aftermath, an enormous cloud of smoke and debris rose, and the bustling port district on Halifax\u2019s north end was reduced to ruins. In the end, the casualty toll stood at 1,963 dead with another 9,000 injured<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar injuries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One immediate point of similarity between the Halifax and Beirut explosions is the type of injuries observed. Blast waves interact with people directly and indirectly, potentially affecting multiple systems in the body<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The physics of blast phenomena<\/a> help us to understand the dangers. Large explosions are accompanied by a shock wave, an invisible phenomenon that can travel at several times the speed of sound and reach pressures of 10 or more atmospheres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wind that immediately follows the shock wave is brief but very intense and carries fragments of debris. The sound waves, or the loud boom, travel slower and arrive at the observer last. This sequence of events occurs faster than one can react. Depending on how close one is to the explosion, there may not even be time to duck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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