Explosion at Enschede

Overview

In Enschede, the Netherlands the S.E. Fireworks storage compound situated in a residential neighbourhood catches fire and explodes, killing 22 (4 firefighters and 18 civilians) and injuring more than 1,000. There were two explosions, with the first explosion equivalent to 800kg TNT and the second was equivalent to just under 5,000 kg of TNT. The facility was authorized to hold 1.4G grade fireworks but actually contained quantities of 1.1G grade fireworks, adding to this, the facility was overloaded at the time.