Explosion at Hua Lampong railway station was caused by potassium nitrate

[webfact]

Explosion at Hua Lampong railway station was caused by potassium nitrate



BANGKK: -- A minor explosion at Hua Lampong railway terminal on Wednesday was an accident when someone unknowingly used a discarded bottle partially stuffed with potassium nitrate as an ashtray, said Pol Pol Lt-Gen Srivara Rangseepromnakul, the deputy national police chief.

Two people were slightly injured.

He said that police had located the man who discarded the bottle and questioned him after having examined the CCTV system at the terminal. He assured that the incident was not politically motivated.

Meanwhile, General Thaweep Nateniyom, secretary of the National Council for Peace and Order, said that even though the incident was minor, officials concerned should not overlook the case and should try to find out the truth.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/162941


-- Thai PBS 2016-05-12

[Thian]

"it can react explosively with reducing agents, but it is not explosive on its own" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate

those guys they must have been undercover reducing agents

Iirc there was a motocy driver some months ago who also transported potassiumnitrate. It exploded while he was driving.

[simon43]

... a discarded bottle partially stuffed with potassium nitrate ...

Happens all the time

[overherebc]

"it can react explosively with reducing agents, but it is not explosive on its own" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate

those guys they must have been undercover reducing agents

Iirc there was a motocy driver some months ago who also transported potassiumnitrate. It exploded while he was driving.

With diesel gives you what was known as Co-op mix in NI ( 70's )

[Eric Loh]

I am just interested to know from the NCPO whether this has any political connection. Just for my peace of mind.

[Mook23]

Note to self: Dont discard bottles partially stuffed with potassium nitrate at public places. ??

Edited May 12, 2016 by Mook23

[overherebc]

Note to self: Dont discard bottles partially stuffed with potassium nitrate at public places. ??

If the bottle had previously been used for fuel and the PN (fertiliser) was carried in the same bottle then under the right circumstances it will explode.

It takes a lot to make a bomb that does a lot of damage and generally needs a detonator to set it off.

Not sure if there would be enough sugar from a soft drink left in the bottle before it was used for the fertiliser to make it explosive

[NCC1701A]

"Honey I'm off to work"

"Don't forget your bottle partially stuffed with potassium nitrate."

"Thanks honey. Love you."

"Love you too dear."

[HLover]

"Honey I'm off to work"

"Don't forget your bottle partially stuffed with potassium nitrate."

"Thanks honey. Love you."

"Love you too dear."

*fingers in noses*

[Mook23]

Honey, have you seen my bottle partially stuffed with potassium nitrate?

I think you discarded it in some public place dear.

Oh right, silly old me. Thanks honey.

?? TIT

[eliotness]

Questions - 1. why would someone have a bottle part filled with potassium nitrate ? 2. why would they then discard it ?, and 3. who stuffs out a cigarette into a bottle partially filled with white powder ? Could have been a trial run by some nutter !

[Mook23]

Questions - 1. why would someone have a bottle part filled with potassium nitrate ? 2. why would they then discard it ?, and 3. who stuffs out a cigarette into a bottle partially filled with white powder ? Could have been a trial run by some nutter !

All together: TIT!

[mki8]

Maybe the bomb maker got his nitrate an chlorate mixed up, which is why only minor explosion

[Kickstand]

The thing that amazes me is that someone thought to use an ashtray instead of throwing the butt on the floor.

[overherebc]

Sitting on the floor next to and sticking a cig' end into it if they knew it would explode doesn't seem like a trial run.

More like someone was taking fertiser somewhere wanted to use the bottle for cig ends put some fertiliser in it and left it there. It takes time for the explosive to become active when the fuel is added so may have been there a long time before the next guy put his cig end in it.

Edited May 12, 2016 by overherebc

[Bangkok Barry]

Yesterday the Thai media was reporting that it was a ping pong bomb. Nice to know they check the facts before publishing like good, professional journalists should.

[diehard60]

accident?????? Me think this would have been a bomb for sure.

[HLover]

accident?????? Me think this would have been a bomb for sure.

Me think you very good detective.

[dcnx]

I will wait to see what the outraged netizens have to say.

[Eric Loh]

The thing that amazes me is that someone thought to use an ashtray instead of throwing the butt on the floor.

He picked up some good practices while visiting Singapore. www.nydailynews.com/news/world/singaporean-man-fined-15k-littering...

[overherebc]

Maybe the bomb maker got his nitrate an chlorate mixed up, which is why only minor explosion

Possible, especially if the chlorate is very old.

[HerbalEd]

This story is bogus. Potassium nitrate by itself is not explosive ... nor flammable. However, when properly mixed with charcoal and sulfur it makes gun powder (aka black powder) which indeed is explosive.

[overherebc]

This story is bogus. Potassium nitrate by itself is not explosive ... nor flammable. However, when properly mixed with charcoal and sulfur it makes gun powder (aka black powder) which indeed is explosive.

If in a sealed container but if loose and not in a sealed container it just burns fast and makes a lot of smoke.

[Acharn]

Note to self: Dont discard bottles partially stuffed with potassium nitrate at public places. ??

If the bottle had previously been used for fuel and the PN (fertiliser) was carried in the same bottle then under the right circumstances it will explode.

It takes a lot to make a bomb that does a lot of damage and generally needs a detonator to set it off.

Not sure if there would be enough sugar from a soft drink left in the bottle before it was used for the fertiliser to make it explosive

Not sure about the detonator. My grandfather used to use a mixture of potassium nitrate and sugar to blow up tree stumps on his farm. Another way he experimented with was to simply drill holes in the stumps and stuff them with the KNO3. Leave it for six months or a year, the KNO3 is dissolved by rain and soaks into the wood, making it easy to burn. Not sure if that ever really worked, though. I used to make black poweder with it when I was a kid. I'm surprised. I didn't think it would explode by itself -- it's used to provide oxygen in the reaction when the low explosive mixture explodes (basically burns very fast).

[jybkk]

This story is bogus. Potassium nitrate by itself is not explosive ... nor flammable. However, when properly mixed with charcoal and sulfur it makes gun powder (aka black powder) which indeed is explosive.

If in a sealed container but if loose and not in a sealed container it just burns fast and makes a lot of smoke.

We should also consider that the content of the bottle is what is reported by journalists who usually have very little idea of how all of this works. A lot could have been lost in the transmission of the information (ex: a bottle containing Potassium nitrate among other things) or in the translation.

Potassium nitrate is one of the ingredients in the Bang Fai rockets.

[Thian]

The thing that amazes me is that someone thought to use an ashtray instead of throwing the butt on the floor.

Why a big station doesn't have ashtrays? Same goes for the big malls.

[overherebc]

This story is bogus. Potassium nitrate by itself is not explosive ... nor flammable. However, when properly mixed with charcoal and sulfur it makes gun powder (aka black powder) which indeed is explosive.

If in a sealed container but if loose and not in a sealed container it just burns fast and makes a lot of smoke.

We should also consider that the content of the bottle is what is reported by journalists who usually have very little idea of how all of this works. A lot could have been lost in the transmission of the information (ex: a bottle containing Potassium nitrate among other things) or in the translation.

Potassium nitrate is one of the ingredients in the Bang Fai rockets.

Yes true but all it does is proide lots of oxygen to make the other ingredients burn at a much faster rate which is the basis of many explosives, lots of gas produced at a very fast rate and especially if enclosed cause the bang.

Very different from modern explosives that make a bang beceuse the burn rate is so fast and produce a shock wave. Industrial gelignite at around 2.25 miles a second to C4 and Semtex at over 10 miles a second for the initial shock wave. So unlike the movies you aint going to outrun it. ?

[IAMHERE]

Thai's make fireworks and sky-rockets out of this all the time.

[overherebc]

Thai's make fireworks and sky-rockets out of this all the time.

True but they are open ended for rockets and enclosed in heavy cardboard for fireworks. For rockets a relatively slow burn works and for fieworks it's not much faster but it's sealed so the pressure ruptures the container and makes a bang.

Try green bamboo on a fire and you'll be surprised at the bang from the individual cells when the steam built up inside ruptures them. A non chemical explosion.

Edited May 12, 2016 by overherebc

[Mook23]

I will wait to see what the outraged netizens have to say.

They are all too busy posting selfies ATM. please check again when they have a new brain

Thank you.