As the death toll continues rising after a warehouse explosion in Chinese port city Tianjin, the area looks like it faced an apocalypse, with burned-out buildings, scorched cars and decimated shipping containers stretching for miles.
As of Thursday night, at least 50 deaths were reported from the blast, including a dozen of the 1,000-plus firefighters who responded to the crisis. About 700 people were injured, and emergency crews have no idea yet how many people are missing, Tianjin officials said.
The blow-up obliterated a fleet of 1,000 new cars near the warehouse, and skyscrapers more than a mile away had all of their windows blown out and their exteriors charred. Broken glass caused most the reported injuries, officials said. A damage estimate has not been released.
Dash cam footage from a car near the explosion emerged online Wednesday, giving the closest look yet of the carnage. In the video, a car appears to be entering a lot near the warehouse when fire fills the sky. As the car starts backing away, a second and seemingly stronger blast sends debris flying and rumbles the ground as fireballs fly off into the distance.
The explosion at a warehouse filled with hazardous chemicals happened just before midnight Wednesday, sending massive fireballs miles away in the industrial zone.
“I thought it was an earthquake, so I rushed downstairs without my shoes on,” resident Zhang Siyu, who lives miles from the blast site, told the Associated Press.
“Only once I was outside did I realize it was an explosion. There was the huge fireball in the sky with thick clouds. Everybody could see it.”
It’s unclear what caused the explosion, which happened in a northeastern city of 15 million that China promotes as a booming center for international finance and technology.
The government is cracking down on reports of the chaotic aftermath. Some local bloggers have said their updates on the story were deleted, and Tianjin officials said they were suspending online access to corporate records that could help trace the cause of the catastrophe.
Youku
The massive explosion happened shortly before midnight Wednesday.
Enlarge
Youku
The blast set off massive fireballs, causing damage for miles.
Enlarge
pejorative gauche via Youtube
Large plumes of smoke were seen shrouding the night’s sky.
Enlarge
Rescuers are working to removing 700 tons of sodium cyanide, a deadly and explosive toxin that started leaking at the blast site, according to the Chinese newspaper group People’s Daily.
With News Wire Services
ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
jsilverstein@nydailynews.com
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
Nation / World – NY Daily News