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Explosion equivalent to '10% of Hiroshima atomic bomb'․ #BBC

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Thursday, 06 August, 2020, 14:15
Explosion equivalent to '10% of Hiroshima atomic bomb'․ #BBC

A rapid analysis of videos of the explosion in Beirut has come up with an initial conclusion about the power of the blast.A team of specialists at the University of Sheffield estimates that it had the force of 1,000-1,500 tonnes of TNT – roughly equivalent to one-tenth of the explosive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.Professor Andy Tyas, who led the work, said:

“Whatever the precise charge size, this is unquestionably one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, far bigger than any conventional weapon.”“We have also analysed video footage of the time delay between the detonation and the arrival of the shock wave at points several hundred metres from the explosion and these broadly agree with this size of charge.“If correct, that would mean this explosion had perhaps 10% of the intensity of the Hiroshima bomb.”