Shocking footage of an explosion at a Beirut wharf on Tuesday showed how quickly a built up area can be levelled.
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It's difficult to comprehend the scope of the blast, which killed at least 78 people and injured thousands more.
It was estimated at 2.75 kilotonnes.
If it went off in the Bowral CBD, fatalities would be guaranteed in a circumference that takes in St Thomas Aquinas School in the north, and Bowral Hospital to the south east. Concrete buildings would be damaged or destroyed.
Most residential homes and commercial properties within a radius of about 650 metres would collapse. It is highly likely spot fires would break out, and spread easily. There would be a high number of fatalities and injuries.
Windows would shatter from Burradoo Road in the south, all the way out to the Gibraltar Hotel in the north, Carlisle Street in the east and to the start of Oxleys Hill Road in the west.
Fortunately, despite the challenges our region has faced in 2020, a 2.75 kilotonne explosion is not one of them.
If you would like to support the people of Beirut affected by the blast, donate to the Red Cross Lebanon.
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