Tianjin Explosion Demolishes Waterfront Industrial District
The waterfront industrial district of the northern port city of Tianjin was rocked by a series of explosions felt over two miles away. The Tianjin explosion caused fireballs to shoot up into the sky and scorched hundreds of cars.
The cause of the explosion on Wednesday evening remained unclear hours after the devastation that destroyed buildings and killed fifty people. Authorities said twelve firefighters were among the dead. Over 500 people were hospitalized due to the blast with 71 of them in critical condition.
Fires continued to burn hours after the explosion and a chemical odor was noticeable in the area. Numerous firefighters were missing after the disaster.
Firefighting efforts were suspended on Thursday by authorities due to the lack of information about the hazardous materials stored inside the warehouse where the Tianjin explosion occurred. Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co. owns the warehouse site where the blast started. The company provides storage facilities and transport services for hazardous chemicals. State media revealed that the executives of the company were taken into custody.
Buildings were smashed while shipping containers were mangled due to the destructive force of the Tianjin explosion. While the initial explosion was huge, the second explosion was more powerful. The China Earthquake Networks Center said the force of the second explosion was equivalent to twenty-one metric tons of TNT or an earthquake with a 2.9 magnitude.
Explosion Rocks Tianjin - image credit: news.com.au
The house where Qian Jiping and his wife were staying was destroyed by the explosions. The two are migrant construction workers. Qian said he thought they were going to die after he heard the first blast.
They were pulled out of the rubble by strangers and escaped barefoot. Residents of the city were jolted awake by the blasts that shattered aquariums and windows. Vafa Anderson, an international school teacher, said their apartment was hit by the shock wave from the Tianjin explosion and destroyed the glass and doors as well as taking out the power. Anderson said the first blast woke him up and was looking outside the window when the second blast went off. He added that a mushroom cloud formed after the second blast.
Liu Yue, who lives around four kilometers away from the blast site, said she “thought it was an earthquake.” She added that she was terrified and feared for the safety of her family. She also said she felt the building where she lived starting to rock.
Greenpeace said the danger still lingers after the Tianjin explosion. The statement from the environmental group indicated that they are concerned about the health of the residents of the city due to dangers posed by some chemicals. Greenpeace said the company stored a number of hazardous chemicals, including calcium carbide, toluene diisocyanate, and sodium cyanide, as indicated by the Tianjin Tanggu Environmental Monitoring Station. These chemicals pose direct threats to the health of humans on contact. Sodium cyanide is a particularly toxic chemical while calcium carbide and toluene diisocyanate can react violently when it comes into contact with water or reactive chemicals, which may result to an explosion. These chemicals pose a challenge for firefighters, whose efforts in fighting fires will be aggravated with an upcoming rain forecast.
The injured were taken to different hospitals around the city and many suffered cuts from broken glass. People started to gather in front of one hospital as they waited for news about their loved ones. Some of the people collapsed after they were told that someone close to them died due to the Tianjin explosion.
Posted by
James Fried
on Saturday August 15 2015, 1:05 AM EST.
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