Explosion Rocks Tianjin Port

A massive explosion late Wednesday shook the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, startling nearby residents with tremors and noise, but it was not known immediately if there were any casualties, according to state media.

The strength of the explosions also shattered windows of nearby buildings, and eyewitnesses reported feeling the blasts from kilometres away.

The blast is said to have occurred at a warehouse of Ruihai Logistics, an appointed company of Tianjin Maritime Authority. The company was identified as Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai worldwide Logistics Co. Ltd.

Communist Party newspaper the People’s Daily said 17 people were killed in the explosion in a post on Chinese social network Weibo, adding in a separate post that more remained trapped by a huge fire unleashed by the explosives.

State broadcaster CCTV said six battalions of firefighters had brought the ensuing fire under control, although it was still burning.

Lu Yun, head of the Taida Hospital, which has admitted around 150 injured people, told Xinhua that the injuries were mostly from broken glass or stones.

State news agency Xinhua confirmed the death toll, and said 32 people were critically injured.

The explosion erupted at a container port where flammable material was being stored, reported CCTV, China’s state-owned broadcaster. The National natural disaster Bureau reported two major blasts before midnight, the first with an equivalent of 3 tons of TNT, and the second with the equivalent of 21 tons.

She described how all the windows of her home and the door were destroyed in the force of the explosion. An explosion happened after they arrived and it damaged buildings and infrastructure.

China has a dismal industrial safety record as owners routinely cut costs by evading regulations and bribe corrupt officials to flout safety regulations.

Tianjin is a major port city in the north-east of China, about 145 kilometres from the capital city Beijing.

It is one of only four cities in China – along with Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing – to have the status of a province.