At least 44 dead after major blast in Tianjin, China

Thunderous fiery explosions at a warehouse containing hazardous goods traumatized this northeast port city, killing at least 44 people, injuring at least 400, shattering glass on scores of high-rise buildings and causing other extensive damage.

The force of the blasts registered on earthquake scales and was felt miles away. As of Thursday morning, an unknown number of people remained unaccounted for in the wreckage, the Tianjin police department said in a statement, and 32 of the injured were in critical condition, among them six firefighters.

The official Xinhua news agency and other state-run news outlets posted graphic video clips of the blasts, showing a fire and a huge flash of light that resembled a mushroom cloud illuminating the darkness over Tianjin, a city of 14 million that is one of China’s most important commercial trade centers.

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A driver is seen inside a damaged car on a highway near the site of the explosions. Photograph: Jason Lee/Reuters

Xinhua said the death toll has risen to 44, 12 of them firefighters.

Another video posted by the state-run newspaper People's Daily showed a person blown down by a wall of shattering glass and debris. "The air pressure from the blast was so strong it just knocked me down in one fell swoop," said Han Tao (30) a truck driver who lives on the 13th floor of a building just over a mile from the site of the explosion.

Xinhua said the initial blast originated at a warehouse in Tianjin’s Binhai district around 11.30pm and set off another explosion 30 minutes later that was even more powerful - roughly the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT, the authorities said.

The police in Tianjin said the explosion took place at a warehouse owned by Rui Hai International Logistics, a private company that was licensed to handle potentially hazardous cargo. According to People's Daily, the company's top official was detained for questioning.

The precise nature of the materials that exploded was not made clear, and there was no indication whether the blast was accidental or intentional. Early reports suggested that firefighters had responded to a blaze about 40 minutes before the first explosion.

Photographs posted on Chinese social media showed the skeletal remains of buildings and row upon row of incinerated Volkswagen Beetles.

NYT