Ships at Tianjin docks sounded their horns, as ceremonies were held in the northeastern Chinese port for the victims of last week’s explosions at a chemical warehouse.
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It said Yang Dongliang was suspected of “severe violation of discipline and law”, without providing further details or directly linking the investigation to the explosions. Protesters have demanded compensation and mourners held memorials for victims earlier on Tuesday.
Sodium cyanide is a highly toxic white, water-soluble powder that prevents the body from using oxygen.The death toll from the massive blasts last week rose to 114 after rescuers found two more bodies in the debris, Gong Jiansheng of Tianjin’s publicity department told reporters. Government officials have said that about 700 tons of such material at the blast site were largely unaffected.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the blasts but the Tianjin disaster has deepened public concern about work safety regulations.
In addition, Tianjin Daily reported that 10 figures involved with Ruihai, including its chairman Yu Xuewei and vice-chair Dong Shexuan, have had their movements restricted since last week, when the blast occurred. It was not possible to reach Yang for comment.
A filing on the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) website apparently confirmed that Ruihai Logistics did not have the correct certification between October 2014 and June 2015, according to Reuters.
At the Tianjin development zone fire station, firefighters bowed to 29 photos of the firemen who died in the flames.
Research firm IHS Automotive has estimated it could take at least a couple of months for normal port operations in Tianjin to resume, and other automakers such as Volkswagen AG and BMW have also said they have made moves to switch to Shanghai and other ports.
These included – in addition to the reported 700 tons of sodium cyanide – 800 tons of ammonium nitrate and 500 tons of potassium nitrate, both of which are used in fertilisers and explosives.
“Chinese people really value safety”, said a man, surnamed Zhu, whose home was about a kilometre from the blast site.
However a local Communist Party official said on Tuesday that a service centre had been set up to field their inquiries.
Credit Suisse said those affected would be mostly Chinese insurance companies as well as global groups that either insure multi-nationals or provide re-insurance coverage. “The dead have passed away but the living are stronger”.
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Prosecutors previously have said they would investigate any dereliction of duty and abuse of power that may have contributed to the blasts.
