Chemical experts visiting blast site

A damaged vehicle is seen at the site of the massive explosions at a warehouse in northeastern China’s Tianjin municipality. It’s not know exactly what chemicals were stored at the facility.

The Tianjin government says the death toll has risen to 50 after the huge, fiery blasts at a port warehouse for hazardous chemicals.

A team of 217 military nuclear and biochemical specialists, along with a group from the global Atomic Energy Agency’s Beijing office, have been dispatched to the area, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The explosion – which could be felt miles away – was so powerful that cars melted and nearby homes collapsed.

Australian mining giant BHP Billiton said the blast had disrupted iron ore shipments and port operations, but had not damaged any iron ore at the port. But it said toxic fumes within the city are “within national standards”.

Xinhua identified the owner of the warehouse as Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai worldwide Logistics.

The injured were taken to different hospitals in the city, with many reported to be suffering from cuts caused by broken glass.

Feng Yin Chang, a professor at Nankai University, told reporters Friday that air monitoring data show the air is safe for residents.

Last night the firefighters went back into the zone where so many of their colleagues – at least 12 at the last official count – had perished.

Gong Xian Shang, a local media official, said in a press conference that a man was rescued at 7:05 a.m. on Friday.

In the past decade, around 285 Fortune 500 companies have set up bases in Binhai, which is a new growth pole in China and is a hub of advanced industry and financial activity.

A blast at an auto parts factory in eastern China killed 75 people a year ago when a room filled with metal dust exploded.

The blast was so big fireballs and explosions could be seen from space and such was the magnitude of the explosion it registered as seismic activity.

The fire was brought under control before dawn but continued to burn, CCTV said. Dozens of police guarded the entrance of the TEDA hospital, a Reuters witness said.

State media said senior management of the company had been detained by authorities, and that President Xi Jinping has demanded severe punishment for anyone found responsible for the explosions. Deere and Company spokesman Ken Golden issued a statement saying that some workers at a Deere plant in Tianjin suffered minor injuries from shattered windows during Wednesday’s explosion.