Massive explosion rocks Chinese city of Tianjin, cause unknown

The initial blast triggered secondary explosions, causing local tremors, according to Xinhua.

Tianjin is a major port and industrial area to the south-east of the Chinese capital, Beijing. Several people have been rushed to the hospital, though it’s unclear how many were injured. The first explosion was equivalent to 3 tonnes of TNT and the second blast 21 tonnes of TNT, it said.

People’s Daily, the Chinese government’s state-run newspaper, tweeted that the blast was “caused by explosive material in [a] container”.

Multiple videos shared on social media show a mushroom cloud erupting into the sky with one of the quakes accompanying the blast.

Tianjin, a city of 7.5 million people, is located near the East China Sea on the northeastern coast of China, roughly 90 miles southeast of Beijing. State media said senior management of the company had been detained by authorities. A plume of smoke and fire was visible for several miles.

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

One local Twitter user, citing hospital staff, said the emergency room had received approximately 300-400 injured, and many of them were burn victims.