Terrible disaster in Texas #facts

The worst man-made disaster of all time occurred on April 16, 1947 in Texas City. 2,100 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire on the ship Grandcan in the city harbor during loading. The explosion was so strong that passersby fell to the ground at a distance of 16 kilometers. The explosion destroyed Monsanto’s plant and offices. The explosion killed 581 people and injured more than 8,400 people. shrapnel from the ship ignited two more ships, the High Flyer and the SS Wilson. Wilson B. Keene Both vessels were also carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer. many of the bodies of the rescuers who responded to the initial explosion were never found. All Texas City and Port Terminal fire departments were killed. The ship’s anchor was thrown several miles where it was found embedded in the ground at the Pan American Refinery. entire blocks of houses near the port were destroyed. The 63 victims, whose identities could not be established, are immortalized in a cemetery in the northern part of the city. #interesti