50 confirmed dead, hundreds injured in massive explosion in China
A massive explosion reportedly rocked the Tianjin region in China on Wednesday left at least 50 dead, hundreds injured.
The explosion reportedly occurred around midnight local time along the docks at the Tianjin Binhai New Development Zone.
Fires still burned in the waterfront industrial district as a chemical smell filled the air. Among the 50 confirmed dead are 12 firefighters, officials said Thursday.
More than 500 people are hospitalized, 71 in critical condition, the state-run Xinhua news outlet reported.
Residents felt the shockwaves from the explosion several miles away and citizens were immediately asked to shut windows and doors in case of a toxic gas.
Chinese flag, Beijing, China. 2009 Photo/Daderot
CNN noted that “Local authorities suspended firefighting efforts Thursday because of a lack of information about the “dangerous goods” stored at the warehouse…”
The warehouse is owned by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co., a company that stores and transports dangerous chemicals. Company executives have been taken into custody, state media said.
The first explosion was huge, and the second was even more powerful — the equivalent of 21 metric tons of TNT or a magnitude-2.9 earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
Tianjin is China’s fourth-largest city.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/08/12/video-massive-explosion-rocks-chinas-fourth-largest-city/
