17 dead as huge blast rocks Chinese port city

Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Explosion in northern China, number of casualties unknown Flammable goods at a container terminal in northern China's Tianjin municipality exploded at about 11:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

A huge explosion at a chemical storage terminal rocked China's northeastern port city of Tianjin late Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and injuring hundreds.

Although the inferno was brought under control by the early morning hours, several people were reported trapped among the burning debris, Chinese news outlet People's Daily reported on Twitter.

The blast, which occurred around 11:30 p.m. local time, lit up the warehouse district and sent a huge mushroom cloud into the night sky, according to Chinese news media.

Local media said the explosion erupted in a container carrying "dangerous goods," then spread to other buildings.

China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, said at least 17 people were killed and 32 were in critical condition.

Local hospitals near Tianjin — a city of around 7.5 million people located about 90 miles southeast of Beijing —received between 300 and 400 people with injuries, the People's Daily reported. At least six firefighters were among the injured and two were reported missing, the newspaper reported on Twitter.

Lu Yung, head of the Taida hospital near the blast site said many of the injuries were from broken glass or flying rocks, according to the newspaper.

At least 38 fire engines rushed to the scene in the port city's warehouse district after fireballs from the initial blast ignited more explosions in nearby structures, China Daily reported.

A witness identified only as Ms. Yang told local media she was out shopping when "suddenly from behind there was a big fireball and explosion," the BBC reported.

"At the time of the explosion the ground was shaking fiercely, nearby cars and buildings were shaking, a few buildings' glass all broke and everyone started to run," she said. "Now all the residents are gathered in the street."

Photos and video footage of the blast that circulated on social media showed a shockwave sweeping the area within moments of the explosion. In one video clip, the explosion was so powerful it knocked over the camerman, The Mirror reported.

The People's Daily reported that the blast could be felt many miles away.

The National Earthquake Bureau reported two major blasts before midnight, the first with an equivalent of 3 tons of TNT, and the second with the equivalent of 21 tons, according to the AP.

Residents were reported to be fleeing from the homes fearing that an earthquake had struck, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.