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China Tianjin blasts: Evacuations as sodium cyanide found | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The Chinese authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents within a 3km radius of the Tianjin blast site over fears of chemical contamination. | The Chinese authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents within a 3km radius of the Tianjin blast site over fears of chemical contamination. |
The evacuations came as police confirmed the highly toxic chemical sodium cyanide was found near the site. | |
A man was found alive 50m from the blast core, Xinhua news agency said. | |
Eighty-five people are now known to have died and hundreds were hurt in the giant blasts in the north-eastern Chinese port on Wednesday. | Eighty-five people are now known to have died and hundreds were hurt in the giant blasts in the north-eastern Chinese port on Wednesday. |
Some fires have continued to smoulder and one reignited on Saturday. Xinhua said several cars at the site had "exploded again". | Some fires have continued to smoulder and one reignited on Saturday. Xinhua said several cars at the site had "exploded again". |
Anti-chemical warfare troops have entered the site, reports say. | Anti-chemical warfare troops have entered the site, reports say. |
The People's Daily newspaper tweeted that they had been sent to handle highly toxic sodium cyanide which had been found there. | The People's Daily newspaper tweeted that they had been sent to handle highly toxic sodium cyanide which had been found there. |
The discovery was confirmed by police "roughly east of the blast site" in an industrial zone, state-run Beijing News said. | |
What is sodium cyanide? | |
The chemical sodium cyanide is white crystalline or granular powder which can be rapidly fatal if inhaled or ingested, as it interferes with the body's ability to use oxygen. | |
It is mostly used in chemical manufacturing, for fumigation and in the mining industry to extract gold and silver. | |
It is soluble in water, and absorbs water from air, and its dust is also easy to inhale. When dissolved or burned, it releases the highly poisonous gas hydrogen cyanide. | |
Potent chemical mix behind blasts | |
What we know about explosions | |
The questions being asked by Chinese citizens | |
'Hero' firefighters hailed: | |
'Like the end of the world': Residents' stories | 'Like the end of the world': Residents' stories |
Officials had until then only confirmed the presence of calcium carbide, potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate. Calcium carbide reacts with water to create the highly explosive acetylene. | |
Officials have so far insisted that air and water quality levels are safe. | |
But the operators of the Tianjin site have been accused of violating safety rules. | |
The Chinese government has ordered officials to make nationwide checks on dangerous chemicals and explosives and to "crack down unwaveringly on illegal activities to ensure safety". |