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Massive explosions in China's Tianjin town: At least 44 dead

by IBNS 13 Aug 2015, 07:22 am

Tianjin, China, Aug 13 (IBNS) At least 44 people were killed and more than 500 injured following two massive explosions in China's northern city of Tianjin on Wednesday.

Those killed include 12 firefighters. The toll is likely to shoot up,  China's official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.

Two blasts happened in a warehouse storing "dangerous and chemical goods" in the port city of the area.

A huge fireball lit up the sky, and nearby buildings collapsed.

President Xi Jinping has urged "all-out efforts" to rescue victims and contain the fire. 


According to Xinhua, the  first explosion took place  at about 23:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday  and was followed by a more powerful blast  seconds later. 

State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said a shipment of explosives had detonated but this has not been confirmed.

Senior managers of Ruihai Logistics, which owned the warehouse where the explosion took place, are being questioned by authorities, state media reports.