Survivor Rescued From Debris 31 Hours After Tianjin Blasts

Xinhua reported that firefighters were called to the warehouse at 10:50 p.m., and the explosion occurred around 40 minutes later. There also are worries over fumes released by chemical fires.

Vid China is today trying to determine the cause of extensive explosions in the port city of Tianjin that have left at least 44 dead and hundreds injured. It says the explosion shattered windows and knocked off doors of buildings in the area.

A fireball appears to have swept through a parking lot of new vehicles.

Two days on, the fire was still burning amidst containers holding an unknown mix of risky, highly toxic materials – and fire crews were still removing bodies. “They were caught off guard, so the casualties are grave”, the survivor who was rescued on Friday morning said.

Meanwhile, 721 others were hospitalised, including 25 critically injured and 33 in serious condition, the rescue headquarters said.

The company’s main business is shipping risky goods at the Tianjin port, according to its website, which became inaccessible by Thursday afternoon.

Question: What was the extent of the damage? Shockwaves hit the building seconds later.

Guan, 24, said he saw flames and a mushroom cloud in the sky as he and other residents scrambled to get out of the building. A light rail station had its roof partially caved in from the blast.

They have also moved to limit criticism of handling of the disaster, blocking some critical posts on social media.

A unsafe cargo storage exploded, August 12, 2015, in Tianjin, China. An additional 13 firefighters are missing, officials said.

What are the concerns now?

This footage of the explosions in Tianjin, China shows the magnitude of the blast.

Chinese authorities have given mixed signals about the threat level.

When asked whether initial firefighter response could have sparked the second blast, Lei said “No. The response procedure must have been scientific”.

A Tianjin environment department official told reporters at a press briefing that all drainage outlets in the area have been shut to contain any polluted water.

“We’re not sure what chemicals they were”, said Gao Huaiyou, Tianjin’s deputy director of work safety.

They said company records were destroyed in the explosions and fire and the authorities had difficulty finding out exactly what was stored in the complex as firefighters attempted to tackle the blaze.