Rain began falling mid-morning, but there was no immediate word of new blasts.
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Crews are testing air quality and water quality in nearby rivers to see if the pollutants exceed national standards.
As the country observes a traditional day of mourning, on the seventh day since the twin explosions occurred at the port city, details of the death of a 25-year-old firefighter added to the grief and frustration felt by local families. Sirens wailed and car and boat horns blared while assembled groups bowed in respect for the dead.
“There were many firefighters who went into the blast and sacrificed themselves”.
As of Monday, 698 people remained in hospital, of whom 57 were in critical condition. About 1,000 firefighters responded to the disaster.
Companies have reported that employees are refusing to show up for work and the cost of the estimated damages from the blasts both to the port area near the site of the disaster, residences, warehouses and business is expected to be massive.
Tianjin bureau of environmental protection chief engineer Bao Jingling said no cyanide had been detected in rain samples collected 7 kilometers from the blast site, which is a populated area. No unsafe levels were found at 14 inspection sites outside the zone, he said. A retaining wall has been built to prevent leaked chemicals flowing into the sea in case of heavy rains, an official said. The explosion left a huge crater at its heart, surrounded by melted containers and burned-out cars. Exposure to sodium cyanide can be rapidly fatal.
The blasts on Wednesday night originated at a warehouse for hazardous material, where 700 tons of sodium cyanide – a toxic chemical that can form combustible substances on contact with water – were being stored in amounts that violated safety rules.
China’s Cabinet, the State Council, said an investigation team headed by Executive Vice Minister of Public Security Yang Huanning has launched a probe into the explosion.
The warehouse was a temporary storage facility that housed materials after they arrived at the port and before they were transported elsewhere, city officials have said. Seventy are missing, majority fire fighters. Along with the cause, the probe will identify those responsible and provide recommendations on how to deal with them.
Among them were 700 tons of sodium cyanide, 800 tons of ammonium nitrate and 500 tons of potassium nitrate. Public demonstrations are rare in China, but protesters have been demanding that authorities buy back damaged homes.
“However, due to ongoing evacuation advisories, none of the three lines at Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd will be (in) operation from Aug. 17 through 19″, Toyota said in the statement.
Tianjin officials have been hard-pressed to answer how the warehouse was allowed to operate in its location.
China’s top prosecutor is reported to be investigating all involved officials for dereliction of duty and other crimes. China has struggled in recent years with incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires, and President Xi Jinping has vowed that authorities should learn the lessons paid for with blood.
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Well over 100 people were killed and another 70 are still missing.
