China Xinhua News reports that the explosion was reportedly caused by explosives at a container terminal and that hundreds have been hospitalized.
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The state-run Beijing News said on its website that between 300 and 400 people had been admitted to hospitals in the city, east of Beijing.
Residents in nearby areas said the blasts had shattered windows in buildings, it reported. Xinhua quoted the head of a nearby hospital saying that it had more than 50 patients, including from broken glass, and more on the way. “Only once I was outside did I realize it was an explosion”.
The official People’s Daily newspaper said the death toll was 17 while other state media said three firefighters were among the dead.
“I’m not afraid, it’s just a scratch”, she said pointing to the bandage on her arm. The first explosion was equivalent to 3 tonnes of TNT and the second blast 21 tonnes of TNT, it said.
One eyewitness said she was shopping at the time of the blast when “suddenly from behind there was a big fireball and explosion”.
More than 100 fire trucks are at the scene where the fire is now contained, the fire department said. Its huge shockwave could be felt from kilometers away.
The explosions took place in a mostly industrial zone, with some apartment buildings in the vicinity.
Graphic pictures on Chinese social media site Weibo show wounded men and women covered in blood as the roads are littered with debris. (2) Residents stand in the street following the explosion at Binhai new district in Tianjin.
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It is one of only four cities in China – along with Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing – to have the status of a province.
