Deadly Explosion Claims 44 Lives in China’s Tianjin
KABUL: (Middle East Press) At least 44 people have been killed and more than 500 others wounded in a series of explosions at an industrial area in the Chinese port of Tianjin in northern China, authorities say.
The blasts shook the northeastern region of China on Wednesday, unleashing a fireball that went up through the night sky.
Reporters at the scene saw shattered glasses up to three kilometers from the blast site. The blasts were apparently caused when a shipment of explosives detonated in a warehouse, raining debris on the city and starting huge fires.
Those killed, according to the official Xinhua news outlet, included 12 firefighters, who were trying to battle the fires that were triggered by the explosions.
“The fireball was huge, maybe as much as 100 meters tall,” said 27-year-old Huang Shiting, who lives close to the site.
“I heard the first explosion and everyone went outside, then there was a series of more explosions, windows shattered and a lot of people who were inside were hurt and came running out, bleeding,” he told AFP.
State media also said senior managers of Ruihai Logistics, which owned the warehouse where the explosions took place, were being questioned by authorities.
According to reports, those wounded in the blast were reportedly shifted to the hospitals and 66 of them are in critical condition.
Police has initiated investigations to clarify the cause of the incident.
Tianjin is one of the largest cities in China, two hours’ drive from Beijing, with an estimated population of more than 15 million people.
