Enormous explosion devastates Chinese port
Seven dead and hundreds injured.
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Scrutiny Week
A series of devastating explosions have killed at least seven people and injured hundreds at an industrial port in northern China, 90 miles east of Beijing,.
The devastating blast thundered across the city of Tianjin last night, with initial reports pointing to a shipment of “dangerous goods” setting a warehouse ablaze before midnight local time.
It is not yet clear what the precise nature of the materials were and there has been no indication if the blast was accidental, or deliberate.
So far seven people have been confirmed dead, but there are fears the casualty count may rise as the Tianjin police department says an unidentified number of people are trapped in the wreckage.
The Beijing News says between 300 and 400 people have been hospitalised so far, with more than 400 Tianjin residents lining up to donate blood.
“The hospital cannot count how many patients we have received – there are too many of them and many of them have burn injuries,” a source told the Beijing News.
The blast was so strong it shook homes at the other end of the city, the state media reports.
The China Earthquake Networks Centre said on Weibo [China’s equivalent of Facebook] the first blast was equal in strength to the detonation of three tons of TNT, while the second was the equivalent of 21 tons of the explosive.
The official Xinhua news agency reports the blast originated at a warehouse in Tianjin’s Binhai District at around 11:30 pm and set off “further explosions in companies nearby.”
The Tianjin fire department says at least 35 fire engines have been dispatched and four firefighters have been injured.
Videos have circulated online showing the fire, followed by a thundering explosion illuminating the night sky.
Jason Walls
Thu, 13 Aug 2015
Thu, 13 Aug 2015
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Enormous explosion devastates Chinese port
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