China has sent a team of military
chemical experts to the northern city of Tianjin, after explosions left
at least 50 dead, state media report.
The blasts, late on
Wednesday night, ripped through an industrial port area, destroying
buildings, shipping containers and thousands of new cars.
It is not known what caused the blasts, nor whether chemicals have leaked.
More than 3,500 residents are spending the night in temporary shelters. Hundreds are injured, 71 critically.
State news agency Xinhua reports that rescue workers are "racing against the clock to save the injured and contain fires", 24 hours after the massive blasts.
The
warehouse that exploded is owned by a company called Ruihai Logistics,
which handles toxic chemicals including sodium cyanide and toluene
diisocyanate, according to reports.
The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, reports
that rescuers "are trying to remove all the 700 tons of sodium cyanide"
stored at the site. Hydrogen peroxide had been prepared to detoxify the
chemical, the paper says.
The Tianjin Port Group Company said dozens of its employees were unaccounted for, according to Xinhua.
Firefighters were already at the scene when the explosions took place.
They had been called to reports of a container fire, state media said. At least 17 firefighters are among the dead.
The two successive explosions, at 23:30 local time on Wednesday
(15:30 GMT), caused a fireball visible from space and a blast wind that
broke windows several kilometres away.
A large area of the port
was devastated. Shipping containers were left buckled, bent and toppled
on to each other like toy bricks.
Row upon row of new cars were reduced to blackened husks.
Nasa has released this image from its Terra
satellite showing a dark plume of smoke drifting over the Bohai Sea,
east of Tianjin (at left of picture)
The head of Tianjin's environmental protection bureau, Wen Wurui, said pollution levels were being monitored.
"It would be harmful if you breathe in [this toxic air] for a long time," he said.
"But at present, it has not exceeded [the standard] too much based on our monitoring."
Water discharge points to the sea had been closed, he said.
Media captionThe BBC's John Sudworth reports from inside the blast zone
A
man who was working as a security guard in a nearby factory told the
BBC that he saw there was a fire, but did not expect explosions.
"Suddenly I heard a bang," he said. "I lay down immediately, but I still got injured.
"My security booth was destroyed completely."
Another injured man said after the explosion his mind went blank.
"My first reaction was to run," he said. "I heard another burst. I was running away. I got blood all over my body."
Media captionPictures and videos have been posted online showing the moment of the blast
The blast ripped apart a nearby dormitory for migrant workers, who were forced to flee the collapsing building.
"I rolled off the bed after the first shockwave hit, so I scrambled to run for my life," said resident Dan Agio.
"When I reached downstairs, the second blast happened. It's as if the sky collapsed. In a blink of an eye, the roof fell."
Media captionExplosions survivor "The second blast blew me away"
The
editor of the BBC's Chinese Service, Raymond Li, points out that 24
hours after the explosions, the cause still is not known.
Just a few days ago, city officials visited the industrial site to discuss safety standards, he says.
Chinese Premier Li Kequiang has promised "open and transparent information disclosure" on the investigation.
Military personnel have been sent to help with the clear-up
Firefighters are among the dead and injured
The fire service was already at the scene at the time of the explosions, reports say
A primary school is being used as a temporary shelter for local residents
Are you in Tianjin? Did you witness the explosion? You can share your story by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please leave a contact number if you are willing to speak with a BBC journalist.
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