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Massive blasts rock Tianjin, 17 firefighters among 50 killed

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Updated: As of 6 pm, the death toll has climbed to 50. A total of 701 people have been hospitalized, including 71 critically injured.

Updated: A total of 521 people have been hospitalized, including 52 critically injured, according to a latest briefing at a conference held on Thursday afternoon on the rescue work.

Updated: Eight firefighting trucks have been damaged during the rescue work.

Updated: 214 officers and soldiers form a national nuclear biochemical emergency rescue team leave Beijing for rescue work in Tianjin.

Emergency supplies are rushed to the blast site.

Updated: The samples collected at 5:30 am showed that the concentration of toluene, widely used as an industrial feedstock and as a solvent, has reached 3.7 milligrams per cubic meter in the air, higher than the national standard of 2.4 milligrams per cubic meter, Tianjin Daily reported.

Updated: A worker who survived the Tianjin warehouse blast said workers had not received any training in handling dangerous chemical goods.

Updated: As of 12:00 pm, the death toll has climbed to 44, including 12 firefighters. A total of 520 people have been hospitalized, including 66 critically injured.

Updated: State Council sets up investigation group for Tianjin blast.

Updated: Beijing currently experiences wind from the southwest and west, and Tianjin is located in the southeastern direction so the pollutants from the blast will go to the Bohai sea, thus having no influence on the capital, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said on Thursday.

Updated: Expert: Cyanide may have been present in Tianjin blast.

Smoke and fire are seen after an explosion in the Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Aug. 13, 2015. An explosion rocked the Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. The cause and casualties are not immediately known. [Photo/Xinhua]

Huge explosions have rocked China's northern port city of Tianjin, leaving at least 17 people dead and hundreds more injured.

Another 32 people were critically injured and 283 people are under observation in hospital.

The blast ripped through the Ruihai warehouse, which stores dangerous goods, at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, following a fire report half an hour earlier. Fireballs erupted then ignited more explosions in companies nearby, according to rescuers.

Two firefighters were "out of contact" and another four injured during the rescue, according to the Tianjin firebrigade. There are people trapped inside the blast site and rescue operation is still going on.

The wounded have been sent to several hospitals nearby. Xinhua reporters saw blood everywhere on the floors of hospitals.

Lu Yun, head of Taida Hospital, which has admitted some 150 injured people, told Xinhua that the injuries were mostly from broken glass or stones. Some of the injuries are serious.

Residents rush away from the site of blasts. [Xinhua]

Smoke and fire are seen after an explosion in the Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Aug. 13, 2015. [Photo/Weibo.com]

The shockwaves were felt kilometers away, with window glass of buildings shattered.

The rolling doors and window glass of Donghai Road terminal station of Jinbin light railway, which serves as a major link between the Binhai New Area and the downtown Tianjin, were broken. Its roof also partially collapsed.

As of 3:00 a.m. Thursday, minor fires and blasts could still be seen from a far distance.

As soon as the explosion was under control, some taxi drivers and private car owners have voluntarily helped with sending the wounded to hospitals. Some hotels have provided free accommodation to residents displaced by the blast.

Latest updates on Tianjin blast