Scale of The Explosion
The explosion was estimated to be equivalent to about 1–2 kilotonnes of TNT and was heard as a loud bang in Munich, more than 300 km away. The pressure wave ripped roofs off up to 25 km away and destroyed windows even farther away. In Heidelberg (30 km from Oppau), traffic was stopped by the mass of broken glass on the streets.
About 80 percent of all buildings in Oppau were destroyed, leaving 6,500 homeless. At ground zero a 90 m by 125 m crater, 19 m deep, was created. Damages were estimated by the New York Times in 1922 at then 321 million Marks (since Germany suffered heavy hyperinflation in 1919–1924, given amounts and exchange-rates are not very descriptive).
According to some descriptions, only 450 tonnes exploded, out of 4,500 tonnes of fertilizer stored in the warehouse.
Read more about this topic: Oppau Explosion
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