- Title: CHINA-BLAST/SITE Smoke continues to rise amid wreckage from blasts in Tianjin
- Date: 13th August 2015
- Summary: TIANJIN, CHINA (AUGUST 13, 2015) (REUTERS) SMOKE BILLOWING FROM SITE OF EXPLOSIONS ACROSS HIGHWAY CRUMPLED SHIPPING CONTAINERS AND BLACK SMOKE WHITE SMOKE RISING BEHIND CRUMPLED SHIPPING CONTAINERS AND DAMAGED BUILDING ROWS OF INCINERATED VEHICLES, WATER BEING SPRAYED ON WRECKAGE SMOKE BILLOWING FROM SITE OF EXPLOSIONS SMOKE-SHROUDED BUILDING AND POWER LINES CRUMPLED SHIPPING CONTAINERS AND OTHER WRECKAGE AMID RISING SMOKE TRAFFIC MOVING SLOWLY ON HIGHWAY IN FRONT OF SMOULDERING BLAST SITE
- Embargoed: 28th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6IO4JMRK4OXNDK4UX18ZXKVH2
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hours after two huge explosions tore through an industrial area where toxic chemicals and gas were stored in the northeast Chinese port city of Tianjin, smoke billowed over the charred remains of buildings, containers and vehicles on Thursday (August 13).
At least 44 people, including at least a dozen fire fighters, officials and state media said.
The Tianjin government said on its microblog at least 520 people were injured in the blasts on Wednesday (August 12) night, more than 60 of them seriously.
The extent of the damage was clearly visible. Dozens of steel shipping containers were crumpled, rows of cars lined up at the port were incinerated.
Buildings near the blast site were damaged of destroyed.
President Xi Jinping demanded that authorities "make full effort to rescue and treat the injured and ensure the safety of people and their property".
He said in a statement carried by official media that those responsible should be "severely handled".
City officials had met recently with companies to discuss tightening safety standards on the handling of dangerous chemicals. The Tianjin Administration of Work Safety posted a notice about the meeting with companies at the port on its website a week ago.
Xinhua said the explosions, the first equivalent to 3 tonnes of TNT and the second to 21 tonnes of TNT, ripped through a warehouse.
It identified the owner of the warehouse as Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics. The company's website said it was a government-approved firm specialising in handling "dangerous goods". Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to an assessment by government environmental inspectors published in 2014, the facility was designed to store several dangerous and toxic chemicals including butanone, an explosive industrial solvent, sodium cyanide and compressed natural gas.
CCTV said at least one person at a "relevant company" had been detained. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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