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Chinese Port City of Tianjin Rocked by Enormous Explosion Chinese Port City of Tianjin Rocked by Enormous Explosion
(35 minutes later)
HONG KONG — An enormous fiery explosion thundered through a warehouse storing “dangerous goods” in China’s northeast port city of Tianjin late Wednesday, state news media reported, injuring dozens of people and inflicting extensive damage. HONG KONG — Enormous fiery explosions thundered through a warehouse storing “dangerous goods” in China’s northeast port city of Tianjin late Wednesday, state news media reported, sending dozens of injured people to hospitals and inflicting extensive damage.
The official Xinhua agency and other state-run news outlets posted graphic video clips of the blast, showing a fire and then a huge flash of light illuminating the darkness. The official Xinhua agency and other state-run news outlets posted graphic video clips of the blasts, showing a fire and then a huge flash of light illuminating the darkness.
One amateur video posted on Twitter showed a person blown down by a wall of shattering glass and debris.One amateur video posted on Twitter showed a person blown down by a wall of shattering glass and debris.
Xinhua said the blast originated in Tianjin’s Binhai district at around 11:30 p.m. and set off “further explosions in companies nearby.” The precise nature of the materials that exploded was not made clear. Xinhua said an initial blast originated in Tianjin’s Binhai district at around 11:30 p.m. and set off “further explosions in companies nearby.”
“The shock waves were felt kilometers away, with some residents claiming their window glass and fish tanks shattered,” the agency said. The precise nature of the materials that exploded was not made clear and there was no indication whether the blast was accidental or intentional. There were no immediate reports of any deaths.
The Beijing News said on its website that between 300 and 400 people had been hospitalized, but that figure could not be immediately confirmed. “The shock waves were felt kilometers away, with some residents claiming their window glass and fish tanks shattered,” Xinhua said.
The fire department of the Tianjin Ministry of Public Security reported that at least 35 fire engines had been dispatched to the blast site to extinguish the fire and that at least four firefighters had been injured. The Beijing News said on its website that between 300 and 400 people had been hospitalized, but that figure could not be immediately confirmed. It also reported that more than 400 Tianjin residents had lined up to donate blood at the Fifth Center Hospital.
According to the China Earthquake Administration’s official account on Weibo, a web messaging network similar to Twitter, the first explosion took place at 11:34 p.m. and registered as a magnitude 2.3. It said a second, magnitude-2.9 explosion happened 30 seconds later, and called that blast “the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT.”
The Tianjin Fire Department reported that at least 35 fire engines had been dispatched to the blast site to extinguish the fire and that at least four firefighters had been injured.
Earlier reports on state news media said the blast appeared to emanate from either a gas station or storage terminal of hazardous chemicals.Earlier reports on state news media said the blast appeared to emanate from either a gas station or storage terminal of hazardous chemicals.
Electric power to the blast area was cut and streets were sealed off by the police.Electric power to the blast area was cut and streets were sealed off by the police.
Tianjin, a major industrial port of more than seven million on the Bohai Bay, is about 90 miles east of Beijing. Tianjin, a major industrial port of more than seven million people on the Bohai Bay, is about 90 miles east of Beijing.