Official death toll rises to 112 as officials find what they believe to be hundreds of tonnes of the toxic chemical

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Fears are growing for nearly 100 Chinese firefighters still missing after being sent to tackle the deadly explosions in Tianjin last week, amid reports that 70 times the permitted quantity of sodium cyanide had been stored at a warehouse near the blasts.

Tianjin explosions so huge they were visible from space Read more

With the official death toll raised to 112 and the number of missing people at 95, rescue workers wearing gas masks and hazard suits were racing to clear the area before the weather changes because of concerns that wind could spread the toxins and rain could cause a dangerous reaction with chemicals at the site.

Chinese officials found what they believe to be 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide at two locations within the site of Wednesday’s deadly blasts, state media reported on Sunday. Some reports suggested the company that owned the warehouse where the blasts originated, Rui Hai International Logistics, may have been illegally transporting chemicals.

People's Daily,China (@PDChina) Firm whose warehouse blasted in #Tianjin suspected of smuggling as storage data obtained from customs & firm differ pic.twitter.com/S0F3mn0yMq

The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, visited the site on Sunday, according to the official People’s Daily.

There is growing anger over the explosions, with residents living in the Qihang Jiayuan apartment complex less than 800 metres from the blast zone staging a protest outside a hotel where officials were holding a press conference.

“I’m very worried that these dangerous chemicals will harm my health,” Zhang Yinbao, who works in the chemical industry and lives nearby, told AP.

Under Chinese law, warehouses storing large quantities of chemicals are not permitted to be that close to a residential area. “From a legal perspective it’s unreasonable that dangerous chemicals would be so close,” Zhang said, calling for a thorough investigation and compensation.

Local media printed photographs of protesters, some with bandages on their arms and heads, holding pictures of what appeared to be their devastated homes.

Families of the missing firefighters joined the protest and clashed with police after marching to district government offices.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Footage shows the trail of destruction left by two deadly blasts in China’s eastern port city of Tianjin

The state broadcaster CCTV aired images of experts on the ground advising firefighters on the best method for extinguishing various fires still ablaze at the port facility. There are concerns about the potential for rain to react with calcium carbide at the site, creating a potentially toxic airborne gas.



Chinese officials confirm two locations in Tianjin where hydrogen peroxide was found at a level above the national safety level

Eric Liu, a campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia, said that without precise data on how much calcium carbide was involved in the blast, it was impossible to predict how serious these reactions could be.

“The other danger rain poses is that chemicals stored in warehouse could be washed into water supplies, with a potentially large impact on local ecosystems,” Liu said. “However, again, without more specific information it is difficult to say what impacts exactly.”

CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) Cyanide at the #Tianjin blast site kept intact, only small amounts leaked; air and water outside evacuation zone is safe, said authorities

Officials said contaminated water was being properly quarantined and would not reach residents.

The first firefighters on the scene on Wednesday reportedly attempted to extinguish the flames with water, only to make the blaze worse. It was only after the explosions that firefighters switched to using foam.

A refuge in a school near the site of the blasts was evacuatated at the weekend after a change in wind direction prompted fears that toxic chemical particles could be blown inland.



There were conflicting reports about the size of the exclusion zone and how many people had been affected, but is is thought 6,300 people have been displaced by the blasts. Shockwaves from the blasts were felt by residents in apartment blocks miles away in the city of 15 million people.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has stepped up efforts to control the media narrative around the incident. Fifty websites have been punished for “spreading Tianjin blast rumours” and close to 400 Weibo and WeChat accounts have been shut down, according to state media reports.

China’s top prosecutor, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, has opened an investigation into the warehouse explosions and “will look into possible illegal acts, such as abuse of power or dereliction of duty and deal with those acts which may constitute crimes”, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

After the explosion, China issued an emergency notice ordering a a nationwide examination of dangerous chemicals and explosives. The State Council called on authorities around the country to “learn bitter lessons from the two massive blasts, and to crack down unwaveringly on illegal activities to ensure safety”.