People’s Daily, the Chinese government’s state-run newspaper, tweeted that the blast was “caused by explosive material in [a] container”. Multiple residents nearby recorded footage of the blasts and posted them online. “I just watched a second explosion go off and (it was) just pure chaos, everyone leaving their apartment buildings thinking it’s an quake, cars trying to leave the complex and…it was insane the amount of light that this explosion and fire lit up”, she said. A plume of smoke and fire was visible for several miles.
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Videos are being uploaded to the web showing a series of huge explosions in a major Chinese city. According to preliminary analysis, the explosion was caused by a shipping container, the Bureau said.
China’s official Xinhua news agency reports on Twitter that there are “hundreds hospitalized”. An employee of another hospital also said the emergency department was full, and staff are trying to contact all their doctors, the paper reported. “Very secure terminal. Has a reputation for being tough, and not a port easy to smuggle through”.
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China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, said that at least 17 people were killed and that 32 were in critical condition in hospital. It is a base for oil refining and petrochemical industries.
