Residents near China blast site evacuated over chemical fears

The death toll included at least 21 firefighters, the highest for a single rescue mission since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, Xinhua reported.

Thirteen firefighters and an unknown number of port workers were still missing, it said.

The enormous blasts on Wednesday killed at least 56 people and injured more than 700, according to official media, and more firemen were still missing.

Officials revealed that the warehouse belongs to Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai worldwide Logistics.

On Wednesday evening, Tianjin, a port city 72 miles southeast of Beijing, was rocked by thunderous explosions.

The company said on its website, before it became inaccessible late Thursday, that it stored toxic chemicals, including sodium cyanide and toluene diisocyanate, as well as compressed natural gas, flammable liquids and flammable solids.

Reuters cites chemical experts who said the spraying of water on calcium carbide by firefighters responding to reports of a fire in the warehouse could have triggered an explosion, as the chemical combines with water to create the highly volatile gas acetylene.

Hazardous substances have been detected from two drainage outlets near the blast site in Binhai New Area, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Friday morning, refuting rumors that the unsafe particles have polluted the surrounding area.

One firefighter was pulled from the zone at about dawn Friday and taken to a hospital, where he was being treated for face, chest and foot injuries, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xinhua reported that firefighters were called to the warehouse at 10:50 p.m., and the explosion occurred around 40 minutes later.

Sodium cyanide, which can be fatal when ingested or inhaled, was found “roughly east of the blast site”, according to police.

But the big questions remain unanswered, including the big one: why were warehouses containing such risky chemicals built so close to people’s homes?

Teams are now investigating in the area and assessing the damage.

“I think it’s his strong will which helped him to hold on”, Zhang Dapeng, the chief of staff of the Bonded Zone Branch of the Tianjin Firefighting Corps said Friday. The company has not said a word since the two blasts and its phone line has been disconnected.

A blast at an auto parts factory killed 75 people a year ago.

“There was no chance to escape, and that’s why the casualties were so severe”, the fire head said. Like many, he said he thought the explosion was an quake. “Thirdly, the information provided by the person in charge and the management personnel were not the same”, said Gao.