Beirut Blast: Ammonium Nitrate weighing 740 tonnes being shifted from Chennai to Hyderabad in phased manner

Days after devastating Lebanon blasts that shook the city of Beirut, leaving over 135 people dead, a huge consignment of ammonium nitrate weighing 740 tonnes in Chennai is now being moved to Hyderabad for safety reasons. It must be noted that blasts in Lebanon was attributed to inadequately secured ammonium nitrate. Also Read - Noted Tamil Professor And Theatre Director Pitambarlal Rajani Dies of COVID-19 at 80 in Tamil Nadu

A report by News18 had it that the customs department has also identified a buyer who is ready to store the chemical. Arrangements to transport the material has also been made.



Further, safety checks are also being performed by the Petroleum, Explosives, Safety Organisation (PESO) officials at the site in North Chennai. The report said that nearly 12,000 people people live closer to the place where this large amount of chemical is currently stored. 

Notably, Lebanon blasts took place on Tuesday and killed more than 135 people, leaving thousands wounded and many homeless. The blasts are believed to have been caused when a fire touched off a stockpile of 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that authorities left sitting in a warehouse for years, according to reports.