China: 18 firefighters still missing after explosion in Tianjin

Chinese authorities said on the morning of August 14 that they had rescued a firefighter after an explosion in the port city of Tianjin on the night of August 12, while the search for the missing continued.

The 19-year-old survivor is from the Binhai Fire Brigade of the Tianjin Fire Department. The head of the Tianjin Fire Department said more than 1,020 firefighters are still battling the blaze. Eighteen firefighters are still missing.

Regarding the cause of the explosion, Gao Huaiyou, deputy director of the Tianjin work safety administration, said that the chemicals stored in the warehouse where the accident occurred have not yet been determined, because the company's office was damaged and there was no data consistency between the company and customs. According to this official, the warehouse was redesigned to store dangerous chemicals and the goods inside the warehouse are not allowed to be kept for more than 40 days before being moved.

A firefighter receives first aid at a hospital after the explosions in Tianjin. Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, the People's Daily newspaper said the construction violated safety regulations. According to Chinese law, warehouses containing hazardous materials must be at least 1 km away from public buildings and main roads. However, there are two residential areas and several main roads within 1 km of the warehouse. Notably, the construction was licensed in 2013, while one of the two houses was put up for sale the same year. The People's Daily newspaper cited an environmental expert as saying the warehouse should not have passed environmental inspection.

Two explosions occurred in a warehouse containing dangerous chemicals in an industrial park in Tianjin on the night of August 12. The resulting fires spread and caused several other smaller explosions. Witnesses described the two explosions as creating a fireball about 100 meters high, throwing debris into the air and scattering it across the area. The shockwaves from the explosions could be felt from miles away. Hours after the explosions, smoke continued to rise.

The blast killed at least 50 people, including 17 firefighters, and injured 701. The National Earthquake Bureau (NEB) said the first blast was equivalent to 3 tons of TNT, and the second was equivalent to 21 tons of TNT.

According to Vietnam+