Beirut explosion: 2750 tonnes ammonium nitrate or is this stored ANFO?

[Milos Uzelac]

Over 50+ people have died and 3000 are injured near the port of Beirut where the explosion took place from latest news sources that I saw. 

The explosion had from it's force generated a mushroom cloud that resembled a detonation of a small nuclear bomb. I heard people call this the largest  non-nuclear explosion since the detonation of 2200 tonnes of ammonium nitrate on a cargo ship that then caused a chain explosions in surrounding oil tankers around that ship around Galvestone Bay in port of Texas City, Texas in 1947, that killed over 580 people and injured over 8000 thousand. 

However I am curious from people who know natural sciences more than me and from information and footage that we currently have, can these sparks in the smoke cloud just be caused by ammonium nitrate (in it's pure form primarily used as a fertilizer) and something else stored beside it or does this looked like the ANFO compound (of ammonium nitrate and fuel) used for controlled détonations from mining to being often improvised for military usage as IEDs? 

BTW the sound of the initial blast was reportedly heard even from Cyprus 250kms away from Lebanon. 

Edited August 5, 2020 by Milos Uzelac

[Carl-Richard]

This video was made before the information about ammonium nitrate was released.

[diamondpenguin]

10 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

This video was made before the information about ammonium nitrate was released.

Dont they use ammonium chloride as a cleaner? Is it closely related? I would assume that is because the nitrogen gets explosive with ammonia. Is that true? 

[Milos Uzelac]

@Carl-Richard Thanks for finding and linking it will check it out, need to go to sleep now since it's almost morning here ?

[Carl-Richard]

1 hour ago, diamondpenguin said:

Dont they use ammonium chloride as a cleaner? Is it closely related? I would assume that is because the nitrogen gets explosive with ammonia. Is that true? 

I'm not an expert, but from what I can remember with my limited background in chemistry, nitrates tend to be very explosive in general.

[Milos Uzelac]

 

Thread on the possible chronology and cause of the explosion by a veteran war correspondent in Beirut who spoke with some security guards on the port before the blast. 

According to him there were two blasts, and the force and shock from the first one detonated the stored nitrate. 

Recommend checking it out whose interested in the ongoing search for causes for this event. 

[Carl-Richard]