What we know so far about deadly Tiajin explosions

Almost 36 hours after one of China's worst industrial disaster, the cause of the massive blasts in Tiajin remains unclear. But here is what we know

The fires are still burning at the site of two massive blasts in China’s Tiajin, almost 36 hours after the deadly mishap. The death toll has mounted to 50 and more than 700 are injured, 71 of them critical, in Wednesday evening’s explosions. And dozens more are missing.

Is the situation under control?

A strong chemical odour has gripped the air. A team of 200 chemical specialists from the military is testing for toxic gases in Tiajin. And 1,000 firefighters are trying to quell the blaze amid fears of contaminated air. Rescuers have been ordered to wear protective clothing, the state media said.

Two days after one of China’s worst industrial disasters, the cause of explosive in the northern port city remains unclear.      

Meanwhile, a man was rescued alive on Friday morning from the site of the powerful blasts The survivor, who was pulled out 32 hours after the twin explosions shattered the economic hub, was identified as a 19-year-old firefighter named Zhou Ti who belongs to the Binhai New Area brigade of Tianjin's fire department.

"When the blast occurred, several firefighters were working to put out the fire, and backup forces had just arrived. They were caught off guard, so the casualties are grave," Zhou said.

He did not specify the number of missing firemen. However, Beijing News reported that 36 firemen are still missing. "Forces from all sides are searching for the missing firefighters," he said.

Among those confirmed dead 17 were firefighters.

How did the blasts happen?

State-run CCTV reported that the senior management of Ruihai International Logistics that owned the building, which reportedly stored “dangerous and chemical goods”, had been detained by authorities. However, the dangerous chemicals stored in the warehouses that exploded in China's Tianjin Port cannot be determined at the moment, Chinese officials said.

Gao Huaiyou, deputy director of Tianjin's work safety watchdog, cited major discrepancies between the accounts of company management and customs and damage to the company's office as reasons they are unable to identify the chemicals.

Cargo is stored in a warehouse for no more than 40 days before being transferred elsewhere, Gao told the media.

What are the health risks?

The environmental organisation Greenpeace Beijing expressed concerns over the health risks posed by certain chemicals after the two massive explosions rocked the area. Greenpeace, citing information from Tianjin Tanggu Environmental Monitoring Station, said the company also stored calcium carbide in addition to the chemicals reported. It warned that chemicals are highly toxic and can present health threats both with short and long-term exposure.

Greenpeace also warned that rain could transfer air-borne pollutants into water systems as rain was forecast for the city on Friday.

The People's Daily said that emergency services were "trying to remove all the 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide" stored at the site.

What was the intensity of the blasts?

While the first explosion was huge, the second was even more powerful.

The first was equivalent to three tonnes of TNT (trinitrotoluene, an explosive material) detonating, while the second was the equivalent of 21 tonnes -- a magnitude 2.9 earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

The second explosion was so big that satellites orbiting Earth picked it up as well, reports BBC.   

According to China's Earthquake Administration, slightly under 90,000 people live within a five kilometer radius of the blast site.

What’s the extent of damage?

Apart from causalities, the explosions destroyed massive quantities of goods in the port city.  A logistics park with thousands of vehicles was torched.

Large shipping containers were tossed into the air like matchsticks, reports BBC.

Tents have been set up in schools for those rendered homeless.

With inputs from PTI