Explosions in the news
- Thread starter Alana
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Updated: June 7, 2019 12:51 PM 6-7 minute Read, Video, Pic's:
A month after the attack on four tankers off Fujairah, a summary of preliminary findings of an investigation by the UAE, Norway and Saudi Arabia has concluded that a “state actor” was most likely behind the operation.
The report found the attack was “designed to incapacitate the ships without sinking them or detonating their cargoes".
“The four attacks were part of a sophisticated and co-ordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor,” said a statement from the three countries' ambassadors to the UN.
The investigation, which assessed the damage to the four vessels and conducted a chemical analysis of the debris, found it was "highly likely" that limpet mines were used in the attack.
“It appears most likely that the mines were placed on the vessels by divers deployed from fast boats,” the statement said, based on radar data and the short time the targeted vessels had been at anchor before the attacks.
The report, obtained by The National below, pointed to evidence to support the theory that a state was behind the sabotage.
"The attacks required intelligence capabilities for the deliberate selection of four oil tankers among 200 vessels of all types that lay at anchor off Fujairah at the time of the attacks,” it said.
“One of the targets was at the opposite end of the anchorage area from the other ships, which indicates that these were premeditated strikes rather than targets picked at random.
“The attacks likely required the positive identification of these pre-selected targets by the operatives carrying out the attacks.”
The statement said the level of training for the attacks, and the contained nature of it, suggested a state was involved.
“It required training divers," it read.
"The explosive charges were placed with a high degree of precision under the waterline, in ways that were designed to incapacitate the ships without sinking them or detonating their cargoes, indicating minute knowledge of the design of the targeted ships."
The investigation also revealed evidence of a high degree of co-ordination among several teams of operatives, including the timed detonation of all four charges within less than an hour.
"The attacks required expert navigation of fast boats that were able to intrude into UAE territorial waters and to exfiltrate the operatives after delivering the explosive charges,” the statement said.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton has accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of being behind the attack, but the initial findings of the UAE-led investigation did not name a specific state.
The report said the investigation would continue and that the three countries would share the preliminary findings with the International Maritime Organisation in London.
"Our investigations are still ongoing," said Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's permanent representative to the UN.
"To date, they have included data gathered through technical teams, deployment of divers, and chemical analysis in UAE laboratories that is being verified with international partner teams."
Ms Nusseibeh said it was worth noting that all four vessels attacked were close to one of the two channels used to enter and exit the port.
She said the Saudi vessels were among the largest present in the port and that all four ships were deliberately chosen.
"The explosions could have had a catastrophic impact if the perpetrators had desired, suggesting it was a sophisticated attack planned to be contained without widespread destruction," Ms Nusseibeh said.
"The capability of intelligence and training is associated with the special forces of a state.
"It is a violation of state sovereignty, a threat to global maritime and international security. We have enhanced our security measures.
These findings are preliminary, and we will continue to share the results of further investigations with the Security Council."
She said council members who were at the presentation of the statement expressed concern and solidarity with the UAE, Norway and Saudi Arabia.
"The investigation is very technical," Ms Nusseibeh said. "We are looking at the available data and we are analysing it. We are not at the stage of attribution.
"The US has carried out its own investigation but we have not yet seen those findings. There have been conversations at the intelligence and technical level with the US and a number of international partners.
"We are looking for an international response that would safeguard security in the region, the security of commercial shipping and of the global energy supply."
A month after the attack on four tankers off Fujairah, a summary of preliminary findings of an investigation by the UAE, Norway and Saudi Arabia has concluded that a “state actor” was most likely behind the operation.
The report found the attack was “designed to incapacitate the ships without sinking them or detonating their cargoes".
“The four attacks were part of a sophisticated and co-ordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor,” said a statement from the three countries' ambassadors to the UN.
The investigation, which assessed the damage to the four vessels and conducted a chemical analysis of the debris, found it was "highly likely" that limpet mines were used in the attack.
“It appears most likely that the mines were placed on the vessels by divers deployed from fast boats,” the statement said, based on radar data and the short time the targeted vessels had been at anchor before the attacks.
The report, obtained by The National below, pointed to evidence to support the theory that a state was behind the sabotage.
"The attacks required intelligence capabilities for the deliberate selection of four oil tankers among 200 vessels of all types that lay at anchor off Fujairah at the time of the attacks,” it said.
“One of the targets was at the opposite end of the anchorage area from the other ships, which indicates that these were premeditated strikes rather than targets picked at random.
“The attacks likely required the positive identification of these pre-selected targets by the operatives carrying out the attacks.”
The statement said the level of training for the attacks, and the contained nature of it, suggested a state was involved.
“It required training divers," it read.
"The explosive charges were placed with a high degree of precision under the waterline, in ways that were designed to incapacitate the ships without sinking them or detonating their cargoes, indicating minute knowledge of the design of the targeted ships."
The investigation also revealed evidence of a high degree of co-ordination among several teams of operatives, including the timed detonation of all four charges within less than an hour.
"The attacks required expert navigation of fast boats that were able to intrude into UAE territorial waters and to exfiltrate the operatives after delivering the explosive charges,” the statement said.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton has accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of being behind the attack, but the initial findings of the UAE-led investigation did not name a specific state.
The report said the investigation would continue and that the three countries would share the preliminary findings with the International Maritime Organisation in London.
"Our investigations are still ongoing," said Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's permanent representative to the UN.
"To date, they have included data gathered through technical teams, deployment of divers, and chemical analysis in UAE laboratories that is being verified with international partner teams."
Ms Nusseibeh said it was worth noting that all four vessels attacked were close to one of the two channels used to enter and exit the port.
She said the Saudi vessels were among the largest present in the port and that all four ships were deliberately chosen.
"The explosions could have had a catastrophic impact if the perpetrators had desired, suggesting it was a sophisticated attack planned to be contained without widespread destruction," Ms Nusseibeh said.
"The capability of intelligence and training is associated with the special forces of a state.
"It is a violation of state sovereignty, a threat to global maritime and international security. We have enhanced our security measures.
These findings are preliminary, and we will continue to share the results of further investigations with the Security Council."
She said council members who were at the presentation of the statement expressed concern and solidarity with the UAE, Norway and Saudi Arabia.
"The investigation is very technical," Ms Nusseibeh said. "We are looking at the available data and we are analysing it. We are not at the stage of attribution.
"The US has carried out its own investigation but we have not yet seen those findings. There have been conversations at the intelligence and technical level with the US and a number of international partners.
"We are looking for an international response that would safeguard security in the region, the security of commercial shipping and of the global energy supply."
Three Missing After Tanker Blast in Russian Port
June 11, 2019 by Reuters
MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) – Three people were missing and two injured on Tuesday after a blast on an oil tanker caused a fire while it was pumping oil in the southern Russian port of Makhachkala, Russia’s Transport Ministry said.
The port is functioning as normal despite the incident, the RIA news agency cited the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transportation as saying.
The fire occurred on the VF-Tanker 16 vessel, which is owned by the Volga shipping agency, part of the UCL Holding transport group’s shipping division.
Russian news agencies said the three missing people had been killed
Volga Shipping released the statement below:
(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Maxim Rodionov; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Andrew Heavens)
You Feel me here? A very suspicious tragedy let alone Chucky's recommend make even more dark.
Lawmaker Wants Navy Ship Named for Senior Chief Killed in Syria
The vessel would be the first named for a female service member killed in action.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants a U.S. Navy ship to be named for Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon Kent, the Pine Plains, New York, native who spent much of her 15-year military career embedded with special operations troops and died Jan. 16 in a bombing in Manbij, Syria.
The honor would be the first for the Navy: Of the service's nearly 300 ships, fewer than a dozen are named for women and none commemorate a female service member killed in action.
A talented linguist, intelligence analyst and cryptologist, Kent enlisted in the Navy in 2003, inspired, according to Schumer, by her father and uncle, who both served as first responders in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Kent deployed five times, spending her tours serving as a member of Navy SEAL teams and other special operations elements. She spoke Arabic fluently, married a Green Beret and was the mother of two boys. After becoming a mom, she pursued a dream to become an officer, applying for -- and receiving -- a slot in a highly competitive doctoral program for clinical psychology.
Related content:
- Sailor's Combat Death Leads to Navy-Wide Policy Changes
- Family of Fallen Linguist Fights Regulation that Forced her Deployment
- US Troops, Civilian Workers Killed, Three Wounded in Syria Bombing
Kent was killed in a suicide bombing in a busy market area, alongside Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer; Defense Intelligence Agency officer Scott Wirtz; and Ghadir Taher, a Syrian-born interpreter from East Point, Georgia.
Since her death, the Navy has changed its waiver and appeals process for commissioning programs, with Adm. William Moran, the service's vice chief of operations, telling her family that "there were many shortcomings in Shannon's case," mainly "fundamental flaws in our waiver and appeal process."
Moran promised a new policy that "will improve the quality, fairness and consistency of the medical waiver process" for all enlisted to officer commissioning programs.
Schumer said Kent's "groundbreaking achievements," which include breaking barriers in the special operations community and calling attention to issues with Navy policies, deserve to be recognized "in a manner fitting."
He asked that fellow senators support a proposed amendment to the Senate's version of the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which the legislative body will take up later this month.
"[Kent] was living proof that women can not only keep up with, but lead this nation's most highly capable service members," Schumer said.
Multiple People Injured After Explosion at Florida Shopping Plaza
Published on Jul 6, 2019
Police and firefighters are investigating an explosion at a Florida shopping plaza that injured multiple people. Live aerials of the aftermath of an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.
The blast sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards across the street. The explosion happened Saturday morning at a shopping center in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.
The blast sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards (about 91 meters) across the street. Video and photos posted on social media showed a destroyed business with damaged buildings next to it. Police officer Chavez Grant said there were no known fatalities. The Plantation fire and police departments said on Twitter that the street was closed to traffic. The fire department called it a gas explosion with “multiple patients.”
WOW!
Police and firefighters are investigating an explosion at a Florida shopping plaza that injured multiple people. Live aerials of the aftermath of an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.
The blast sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards across the street. The explosion happened Saturday morning at a shopping center in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.
The blast sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards (about 91 meters) across the street. Video and photos posted on social media showed a destroyed business with damaged buildings next to it. Police officer Chavez Grant said there were no known fatalities. The Plantation fire and police departments said on Twitter that the street was closed to traffic. The fire department called it a gas explosion with “multiple patients.”
WOW!
Why I am not crying?
Translated from Russian by Microsoft
Norwegian and Russian scientists went to the site of the sinking of the
A bag exploded while being loaded onto a flight at Midway International midday Monday, police said.
Police were called to the airport just before 12:20 p.m. Monday after a bag exploded while being loaded onto a flight, said police spokeswoman Karie James.
The bag exploded while being loaded onto a flight at the airport.
The police bomb squad was called to the scene, but the scene was being cleared by about 1 p.m.
Police said there was “no public safety threat” and “Airport operations are resuming” about 1 p.m.
Police were called to the airport just before 12:20 p.m. Monday after a bag exploded while being loaded onto a flight, said police spokeswoman Karie James.
The bag exploded while being loaded onto a flight at the airport.
The police bomb squad was called to the scene, but the scene was being cleared by about 1 p.m.
Police said there was “no public safety threat” and “Airport operations are resuming” about 1 p.m.
Explosions and MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL FIRE in Kidderminster, England (VIDEOS)
Explosions were heard and an enormous industrial fire broke out at a factory in Kidderminster, England. With black smoke towering over the town, police have advised people to avoid the area and residents have been evacuated.
Explosions have been reported and an enormous industrial fire has broken out in Kidderminster, England. With black smoke towering over the town, police have advised people to avoid the area.
Fire crews were swiftly dispatched to an industrial unit in the Worcestershire town after explosions were reported.
Video footage showed what appears to be a burning factory, with a column of smoke rising over residential neighbourhoods nearby. The scene has been described as “absolute chaos” by locals.
Police have asked people to avoid the area and residents have been advised to close their windows to keep the choking black smoke out.
Firefighters say the blaze broke out at a building on Park Street. Though the street is lined with houses and small businesses, a large metal refinery sits at one end, and appears to be the source of the blaze.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service has dispatched an ambulance, multiple paramedics, an air ambulance and trauma doctor to the scene, but there is no word yet on potential casualties.
Wow, this seems very dangerous for your health, now it is time to put a mask ASAP! I don't understand the people that are like hypnotised looking the black smoke. Strange.8 Sep, 2021 15:15 / Updated 2 minutes agoExplosions and MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL FIRE in Kidderminster, England (VIDEOS)
Explosions were heard and an enormous industrial fire broke out at a factory in Kidderminster, England. With black smoke towering over the town, police have advised people to avoid the area and residents have been evacuated.www.rt.com
Explosions have been reported and an enormous industrial fire has broken out in Kidderminster, England. With black smoke towering over the town, police have advised people to avoid the area.
Fire crews were swiftly dispatched to an industrial unit in the Worcestershire town after explosions were reported.
Video footage showed what appears to be a burning factory, with a column of smoke rising over residential neighbourhoods nearby. The scene has been described as “absolute chaos” by locals.
Police have asked people to avoid the area and residents have been advised to close their windows to keep the choking black smoke out.
Firefighters say the blaze broke out at a building on Park Street. Though the street is lined with houses and small businesses, a large metal refinery sits at one end, and appears to be the source of the blaze.
The West Midlands Ambulance Service has dispatched an ambulance, multiple paramedics, an air ambulance and trauma doctor to the scene, but there is no word yet on potential casualties.
Fire at metal plant in Ariège confines residents to their homes
Fire at metal plant in Ariège confines residents to their homes
Black smoke was seen coming from the Aubert & Duval factory this morning, prompting the prefecture to advise locals to stay indoors while firefighters dealt with the situation
The prefecture of Pamiers, southwest France, urged residents and local schoolchildren to stay inside this morning, after the Aubert & Duval metal plant caught fire near the centre of town, sending black smoke into the air.
Some 100 men and half a dozen fire engines were brought in to help tackle the blaze and the fire was contained after several hours.
Firemen were alerted shortly before 7:00, after alarms were triggered and clouds of smoke were seen coming from the factory.
“On our way to school, a thick black cloud hung over the factory. It was 7:30 and a gendarme warned us not to stay there", Christine Berge told France 3 after dropping her son off.
The metal plant is believed to employ around 100 people and all those who had been on site were evacuated to the town hall. Nobody was injured.
The factory on Boulevard de la Libération in Pamiers is the largest of those belonging to Aubert & Duval, which supplies parts for the aeronautical and automobile industry.
It is believed that the source of the fire that spread to the building could have been an acid tank used for stripping metal parts.
The prefecture has set up an information line available to the public, on 05 61 02 11 86.
Video / Pic's
At least 16 people were taken to hospital after the early morning blast set ablaze an apartment bloc in a central residential area. Fire fighters pulled people from the building while others used tied sheets to lower themselves from balconies as grey smoke billowed out of stairwells and windows.
Three women and one man were treated for serious injuries, a Sahlgrenska University Hospital spokesperson said. Swedish public services radio SR reported that about 25 people had been taken to hospitals around Sweden's second largest city.
An emergency services crew works to evacuate people and put out fire after an explosion hit an apartment building in Annedal, central Gothenburg, Sweden September 28, 2021. (Reuters)
The Nordic country has contended with surging gang crime in recent years, with rival groups employing explosives and fire arms to settle scores.
"It's terrible," Interior Minister Mikael Damberg told TT news agency. "I have great confidence in the Police Authority and that it uses all the resources required to sort out what has happened."
Police, who opened an investigation, said the fire was under control and that tenants had been evacuated. Emergency services ruled out a gas leak as the cause.
"We believe something has exploded that is not of natural causes," Police spokesperson Thomas Fuxborg told a news conference, adding that something had "probably" been placed at the site of the explosion.
Emergency services said they were working to put out fires in the apartment building. They refrained from speculating on the cause of the explosion.
Anja Almen, who lives in the building, said she heard a commotion from the street just after 5:00 a.m. -- around 15 minutes after the explosion.
"I went out on the balcony and I was shocked. There was smoke everywhere, from every stairwell," she said by phone from a nearby church to which she and other tenants were evacuated. "Fire trucks with ladders were pulling people from apartments."
A report this year showed that Sweden in the last two decades has gone from having one of the lowest rates of gun violence in Europe to having one of the highest. read more
Second and Third Source:
Swedish police investigate Gothenburg blast, four seriously hurt
www.jpost.com
- Summary:
- Explosion rocks residential area in Gothenburg
- At least 16 taken to hospital, four seriously injured
- Police say explosion not due to 'natural causes'
At least 16 people were taken to hospital after the early morning blast set ablaze an apartment bloc in a central residential area. Fire fighters pulled people from the building while others used tied sheets to lower themselves from balconies as grey smoke billowed out of stairwells and windows.
Three women and one man were treated for serious injuries, a Sahlgrenska University Hospital spokesperson said. Swedish public services radio SR reported that about 25 people had been taken to hospitals around Sweden's second largest city.
An emergency services crew works to evacuate people and put out fire after an explosion hit an apartment building in Annedal, central Gothenburg, Sweden September 28, 2021. (Reuters)
The Nordic country has contended with surging gang crime in recent years, with rival groups employing explosives and fire arms to settle scores.
"It's terrible," Interior Minister Mikael Damberg told TT news agency. "I have great confidence in the Police Authority and that it uses all the resources required to sort out what has happened."
Police, who opened an investigation, said the fire was under control and that tenants had been evacuated. Emergency services ruled out a gas leak as the cause.
"We believe something has exploded that is not of natural causes," Police spokesperson Thomas Fuxborg told a news conference, adding that something had "probably" been placed at the site of the explosion.
Emergency services said they were working to put out fires in the apartment building. They refrained from speculating on the cause of the explosion.
Anja Almen, who lives in the building, said she heard a commotion from the street just after 5:00 a.m. -- around 15 minutes after the explosion.
"I went out on the balcony and I was shocked. There was smoke everywhere, from every stairwell," she said by phone from a nearby church to which she and other tenants were evacuated. "Fire trucks with ladders were pulling people from apartments."
A report this year showed that Sweden in the last two decades has gone from having one of the lowest rates of gun violence in Europe to having one of the highest. read more
Second and Third Source:
Swedish police investigate Gothenburg blast, four seriously hurt
Explosion in Swedish residential building injures 25
At least 16 people were taken to hospital after an early morning blast set ablaze an apartment block in Gothenburg, Sweden.
www.jpost.com
Featured cover story, (nod nod, wink wink).
www.airlive.net
Meanwhile:
Is that loud roar you just heard the sound of the apocalypse finally happening, once and for all?
Nah, it's just San Francisco Fleet Week. But we don't blame you for forgetting — the Blue Angels haven't flown over the city since 2019.
The U.S. Navy's acrobatic fighter jet pilots will return to the sky after a pandemic hiatus this Friday to kick off the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show. Technically, Fleet Week began Oct. 3 with ship tours of U.S. Navy vessels, a neighborhood concert series and an "Honor Our Fallen” concert at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center.
But the main event — the waterfront air show held between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz — takes place Oct. 8, 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition to the Blue Angels, a commercial airliner, the United 777, is also slated to perform a choreographed display. Plus, the Parade of Ships, a procession of large ships along the S.F. waterfront, is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m.
If you want to watch the show instead of shaking your fist at the sky blindly when the deafening sounds of fighter jets disturb you from your daily routine, try one of these rooftop bars or other high vantage points for optimal views.
US Air Force F15 fighter jets scared people north London this morning - AIRLIVE
US Air Force F15 fighter jets were spotted in the sky over north London and Essex this morning and worried locals have taken to twitter to share their experiences of the ‘loud bang’. The loud roaring noise had been heard by hundreds in Essex, locals have reported. The sudden explosive sound was...
www.airlive.net
Meanwhile:
Is that loud roar you just heard the sound of the apocalypse finally happening, once and for all?
Nah, it's just San Francisco Fleet Week. But we don't blame you for forgetting — the Blue Angels haven't flown over the city since 2019.
The U.S. Navy's acrobatic fighter jet pilots will return to the sky after a pandemic hiatus this Friday to kick off the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show. Technically, Fleet Week began Oct. 3 with ship tours of U.S. Navy vessels, a neighborhood concert series and an "Honor Our Fallen” concert at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center.
But the main event — the waterfront air show held between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz — takes place Oct. 8, 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition to the Blue Angels, a commercial airliner, the United 777, is also slated to perform a choreographed display. Plus, the Parade of Ships, a procession of large ships along the S.F. waterfront, is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m.
If you want to watch the show instead of shaking your fist at the sky blindly when the deafening sounds of fighter jets disturb you from your daily routine, try one of these rooftop bars or other high vantage points for optimal views.