Latest updates on Tianjin blast
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 13, 2015
Blast pollutants flow into Bohai Sea
According to Tianjin Observatory, the air pollutants caused by the massive Tianjin warehouse blast are flowing into the Bohai Sea.
The Tianjin weather forecast reported that from 11:00 p.m. Wednesday to 8:00 a.m. Thursday, the wind in the city blew from west and south-west to east and north-east, and it will continue to blow for the following 24 hours.
According to the city’s environmental monitoring center, as of 11:00 a.m. Thursday, six regular indicators in the air around the blast scene registered as normal.
The city's environment protection department has shut down the offshore outfall, and started emergency water quality monitoring.
Eight firefighting trucks damaged in Tianjin blast
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Eight firefighting trucks have been damaged during the rescue work following the massive Tianjin blast. |
Eight firefighting trucks have been damaged during the rescue work following the massive Tianjin blast on Wednesday night, according to the rescue headquarters near the explosion site in Binhai New Area.
As of noon on Thursday, the death toll of the warehouse blast has risen to 44, including twelve firefighters.
Blast warehouse worker: no special training was given
A worker who survived the Tianjin warehouse blast said workers had not received any training in handling dangerous chemical goods, CRI reported.
The warehouse worker from Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd. survived the explosion as he went out to buy food for six of his workmates when the accident occurred on Wednesday night.
The warehouse was used by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd., a company that handles hazardous materials.
Death toll from massive Tianjin blast rises to 44
The death toll has climbed to 44 from two massive blasts that ripped through a warehouse in north China's port city of Tianjin as of Thursday noon, according to rescue headquarters.
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Staff members of Fire and Rescue Headquarters command rescue work near the explosion site in Binhai New Area of Tianjin, north China, Aug. 13, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] |
Twelve firefighters were among the dead.
A total of 520 people have been hospitalized, including 66 critically injured.
State Council sets up investigation group for Tianjin blast
China's State Council has established an investigation group to guide the rescue work following the Tianjin warehouse blast, CCTV reports.
The group will focus on four aspects:
1. Suspending the firefighting efforts and discussing a concrete plan for the overall rescue;
2. Sending a chemical protective group to the scene of the explosions and continually paying attention to environmental monitoring;
3. Rescuing the wounded and taking care of the families of victims;
4. Controlling the area around the blast scene and keeping nearby traffic in order.
Expert: Cyanide may have been present in Tianjin blast
The possibility of there being cyanide at the accident site in Tianjin cannot be ruled out, the China Youth Daily reported on Thursday morning, following the series of huge explosions late Wednesday at a warehouse for dangerous materials in the city.
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Staff members of Tianjin Environment Monitoring Center monitors air quality near the explosion site in Binhai New Area of Tianjin, north China, Aug. 13, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The newspaper quoted Doctor Wu Chunping's saying that the commodities stored at the explosive warehouse include hazardous chemicals such as sodium cyanide and toluene diisocyanate which can penetrate into human bodies through the skin and cause poisoning.
Dr. Wu suggested preventive measures be taken. People should better wear gas masks so as not to expose their mouths and skin, he said.
Wu explained that a single hazardous chemical explosion can be relatively easily targeted, while the situation in the Tianjin accident on Wednesday is different and more difficult to handle because it involved many varieties of hazardous chemicals.
In addition, a variety of hazardous chemicals will interact after the explosion to form more stable and more complex compounds and produce other toxic substances that fill the air and are difficult to dispel. Therefore, the follow-up work must include physical protection, Dr. Wu said.
11 firefighters confirmed dead in Tianjin blast
Eleven firefighters have been confirmed dead after the Tianjin warehouse blast on Wednesday night, China Daily reports.
Thirty-six others are still "out of contact", and a number of other rescue workers have been injured, according to the Tianjin fire department.
Two Koreans injured in Tianjin blast
Two Koreans were injured in the Tianjin warehouse blast on Wednesday night, according to an official at the Korean Embassy in China.
One is an overseas Korean who is living in China, while the other is on a business trip in Tianjin.
Expert: blast pollutants won't spread far
According to the results of monitoring, the air pollutants caused by the Tianjin warehouse blast have already settled in the local area.
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An expert said that the blast pollutants mainly consist of nitric oxide and sulfur monoxide, which have settled in the local area. |
Wang Gengchen, a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the blast pollutants mainly consist of nitric oxide and sulfur monoxide, which have settled in the local area.
He explained that the distances the pollutants travel are related to the concentration of the pollutants, the meteorological conditions, and the location of the pollutants in the air.
The pollutants are now sitting in the lower layer of the air, very little of which has spread to Beijing and other cities.
Beijing firefighters sent for Tianjin blast rescue
The Beijing fire department sent two UAVs and eight firefighters to Tianjin for the blast rescue at 3:53 a.m. Thursday.
According to the official Weibo of the Beijing fire department, eight firefighters arrived at Tianjin Binhai New Area at around 6:50 a.m. this morning.
They drew a 360 degree panorama of the scene of the accident with the help of the drones, which will provide detailed support for the rescue.
Second blast as powerful as 46 Tomahawks combined
Two blasts rocked Tianjin Binhai New Area on Wednesday night. The first blast was equivalent to 3 tons of TNT while the second one was equivalent to 21 tons. In other words, the two blasts could be compared to seven and 46 U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles combined, respectively.
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Smoke and fire are seen after an explosion in the Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Aug. 13, 2015. |
The energy released in the second blast was more than 165 cannon shells of the U.S. Iowa-class battleship combined, the largest of its kind in World War II.
One ton of TNT is equal to 4.184 gigajoules.
Police set up perimeter around blast center
Police officers started to clear the blast center before setting up a perimeter around the blast scene at a container yard in Tianjin at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, saying that "the blast center area is still dangerous."
At least 17 people were killed in the blast, and a further 283 have been hospitalized, of whom 32 are in a critical condition, as of 8:30 a.m. Firefighters near the blast center were told to evacuate to a safe zone to avoid further casualties, as risks still remain.
Firefighting suspended at Tianjin blast site
Firefighting efforts at the site of the blast in Tianjin have been suspended, because the number of hazardous chemicals at the explosion site is unknown, CCTV reported.
Tianhe-1 supercomputer stopped due to safety concerns
Scientists have stopped the Tianhe-1 supercomputer due to safety concerns after the Tianjin warehouse blasts.
The Tianhe-1 supercomputer is located at the National Supercomputer Center in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin Municipality.
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Photo taken on Aug. 13, 2015 shows broken glass and damaged windows after huge explosions at the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The warehouse blasts on Wednesday night broke some parts of the outer wall and glass of the center’s building.
According to scientists at the supercomputer center, Tianhe-1 has not been affected by the blasts, but out of safety considerations, they temporarily shut down the computer.
Executives of company responsible for blasts in police custody
Company executives of Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd., whose warehouse caused the two blasts in Tianjin, have been taken into police custody, pending further inquiries.
4 firefighters die in Tianjin blast
Four firefighters have been confirmed dead after carrying out rescue work following the Tianjin warehouse blast on Wednesday night, CCTV reports.
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Four firefighters have been confirmed dead after carrying out rescue work following the Tianjin warehouse blast on Wednesday night. |
A number of other rescue workers have been injured, and more than ten are still "out of contact", according to the Tianjin fire department.
A further 283 people have been taken to hospital and 32 of them are in a critical condition, CCTV reported.
An explosion rocked the Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality at around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
As of 9:00 a.m. Thursday, the death toll from the blast has climbed to 17.
10 staff from port logistics firm missing in blasts
Ten people working the night shift at the Richsea International Logistic Company, near the blast center in Tianjin, have been reported missing.
Another company staff member said there were 13 people working the night shift altogether, and three were receiving medical treatment at a hospital for injuries.
The names of the 10 missing people are: Fang Zhiqiang, Li Wei, Li Yuan, Xiao Ding, Ji Rong, Zhang Jianguo, Zhang Qiangmin, Ma Fengjiang, Liu Huili and Master Shi.
More than 20 firefighters missing after Tianjin blast
More than 20 firefighters lost contact with their teams after a second blast in Tianjin, China, a firefighter told the Beijing News. In the Teda Hospital three kilometers from the scene, the bodies of six firefighters have been found.
Li Xiaohua, Huang Shan, Li Jingrong, Lin Liyao, Chen Boyuan and Chris Parker contributed to the story.
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