{"id":23617,"date":"2020-08-05T21:01:43","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T01:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=23617"},"modified":"2020-08-05T21:01:43","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T01:01:43","slug":"massive-beirut-explosion-sinks-nearby-cruise-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=23617","title":{"rendered":"Massive Beirut Explosion Sinks Nearby Cruise Ship"},"content":{"rendered":"

ZeroHedge.com<\/p>\n

Tuesday’s\u00a0massive explosion in Beirut<\/a>, Lebanon, has so far claimed the lives of 135 people and injured around 5,000. The cause of the\u00a0explosion was 2,700 tons of\u00a0ammonium nitrate, sitting unsecured in a warehouse at the Port of Beirut.<\/p>\n

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Beirut’s governor, Marwan Abboud, said damage from the blast is widespread and extends over half of the city, with the cost of the damage\u00a0estimated to be more than $3 billion.<\/p>\n

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For more color on the sheer destruction,\u00a0Dutch newspaper\u00a0De Telegraaf<\/a>\u00a0cited Lebanese news agency\u00a0National News Agency (NNA), which reports the blast also sunk a nearby cruise ship.<\/p>\n

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The Orient Queen, owned by\u00a0Abou Merhi Cruises, measures an overall length of 400 feet long, was\u00a0sunk by the\u00a0ammonium nitrate explosion.<\/p>\n

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After the explosion, the vessel was severely\u00a0left listing to the starboard, with two crew members killed and several injured.<\/p>\n

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The vessel eventually\u00a0capsized hours later.<\/p>\n

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Here’s a video of\u00a0the\u00a0capsized vessel.<\/p>\n

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