Tianjin Explosions: Death Toll Climbs Past 50, 17 Firefighters Among Dead

The rugged firefighters have emerged as the new soldiers to fight deadly industrial fires in China in the last two decades as the country ramped up manufacturing.

The closest apartments complexes were built just 600 metres away from the site when zoning laws said they should be a minimum one kilometre away. He did not specify the number of missing firemen.

Toyota spokesman Itsuki Kurosu said more than 50 of its employees in Tianjin were among the injured, though the vehicle maker was still confirming the extent of the injuries.

“We knew there was calcium carbide inside, but no one had knowledge if it was exploding or on fire“, Lei said.

The blasts, which occurred at the Tianjin Binhai New Development Zone around 15:30 GMT Wednesday evening, left several nearby tower blocks without power and was allegedly large enough to register on natural disaster sensors, according to The Wall Street Journal. A total of 721 were injured, of whom 25 are still in critical condition.

Authorities have not said what caused the explosions, saying only that they originated at the warehouse owned by Ruihai global Logistics.

Guo cited damage to the company’s office and major discrepancies between the accounts of company management and customs records as a reason they have not been able to identify the chemicals, China.org reported. Cargo is stored in a warehouse for no more than 40 days before being transferred elsewhere, Gao told media. Wired mentioned that two Japanese satellites managed to capture images of the Tianjin explosions.

Some other unsafe chemicals likely to be stored included potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate. It warned that chemicals are highly toxic and can present health threats both with short and long-term exposure. The air had a metallic chemical smell, and there was uneasiness over rain forecasts, although it was warm and windy. A further 33 were in a “serious” condition.

The team from the Chinese military are checking for toxic gases in the surrounding area in the north-eastern port city of Tianjin. With about 6,000 Tianjin residents forced from their homes and countless others unsure whether it was safe to breathe the air, government officials have struggled to reassure the public there was little danger.

Footage on state television appeared to show some smoke continuing to rise from the area on Friday. Investigations are to find out the cause of the explosions, officials said.

A rapid succession of explosions – one equal to 21 tons of TNT – were sparked by a fire at what authorities said were shipping containers containing hazardous material at a warehouse.