Dead, 700 Wounded In China’s Blast

It said the initial blast then ignited further explosions nearby.

Thousands of residents have been moved to nearby schools after homes and apartment buildings were damaged, mostly by the shockwaves from the blasts, the official Xinhua news agency said. Several people have been rushed to the hospital, though it’s unclear how many were injured. In addition, several Deere employees who were at their homes at the time of the blast have sustained serious injuries, including some who are in critical condition, he said.

Residents living near the site of giant explosions in a Chinese port expressed fears for their safety Friday, after reports there could be hundreds of tonnes of risky chemicals at the site. Internet videos showed fireballs shooting into the sky and the U.S. Geological Survey registered the blasts as seismic events.

The explosion occurred at a warehouse for explosive and risky goods and according to Xinhua News, the first explosion was equivalent to 3 tons of TNT, and the second, 21 tons.

The explosions shattered windows more than a mile away and collapsed buildings, and the fire torched cars, state media said.

Twelve of the dead were firefighters from among the more than 1,000 sent to fight the blaze.

There were scenes of devastation as dawn broke over the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin after huge explosions rocked the port city later Wednesday night.

An estimated 6,000 people will have to be resettled because of the destruction caused by the blasts, authorities said. Shipping containers were left buckled, bent and toppled on to each other like toy bricks.

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

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.

Executives for Ruihai Logistics, the company which owns the warehouse where the inferno originated, were arrested, police said.

“Industrial explosions like this are unusual in China, where workplace safety has markedly improved”, Frank says.

Resources giant BHP Billiton – for which China is a crucial market – said in a statement that its iron ore discharge berths were undamaged, with the closest 20km from the blast site.

State broadcaster CCTV said six battalions of firefighters had brought the ensuing fire under control, although it was still burning in the early hours of Thursday. State media said senior management of the company had been detained by authorities.