“I was afraid my family was in danger”.
Advertisement
Videos of the explosion showed flames lighting up the night sky and state-run news agency Xinhua quoted residents in nearby districts as saying the blast had shattered windows.
The initial explosion erupted at a warehouse for a logistics company in an industrial area of the port city, according to Tianjin police.
The logistics company was identified in state media as Ruihai Logistics.
In other amateur video which appears to be shot closer to the scene, people scream from inside a auto as the shockwave hits from the second blast, rocking their vehicle.
The shock waves were felt kilometers away, Xinhua reported, and some residents said windows and fish tanks had been shattered.
A fireball ripped through the night sky above Tianjin, China, after a fire apparently caused a massive explosion at a flammable goods warehouse at the city’s port.
An embassy official said the two Koreans suffered minor injuries and were treated at a hospital in Tianjin. The first was measured at magnitude of 2.3, the second at 2.9, it said.
China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, said that at least 17 people were killed in the explosions late Wednesday and that 32 were in critical condition in hospital.
Many roads were blocked off around the city, which has a population of more than 13 million. An explosion happened after they arrived and it damaged buildings and infrastructure.
The TV report said the fire still yet to be contained as firefighters cannot use water to put it out due to presence of chemicals and instead has to use sand and other materials to contain it.
Authorities had lost contact with 36 firefighters on the scene, the official Beijing News newspaper reported, citing the Tianjin fire department.
Advertisement
Xi has demanded that authorities quickly control, and extinguish the fire, and “make full effort to rescue and treat the injured and ensure the safety of people and their property”, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. Premier Li Keqiang vowed to hold a thorough investigation of the accident and to disclose details to the public.
