Death Toll in China Explosion Has Swollen to 104, Several Critical
China explosion which sent a wave of explosions in Tianjin port has claimed 104 lives.
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The death toll in twin blasts in Chinese port city Tianjin shot up to 104, including 21 firefighters, on Saturday as minor explosions and fires continued to hamper rescue work.
Official media reports said 36 firefighters were still missing.
Rescue headquarters said 721 people were admitted to hospitals of which 25 have sustained critical injuries.
The condition of 33 injured was stated to be serious, local officials said.
A day after the blasts, the Chinese army had deployed 217 military specialists in nuclear and biochemical materials to deal with foul air.
President Xi Jinping has asked officials to learn from the “extremely profound” lessons paid for with blood.
Dangerous Air Quality
Nuclear and biological detections teams found evidence of sodium cyanide, a deadly chemical that emits highly toxic gases if it is burnt or comes in contact with water along with other chemicals.
The warehouse where blasts took place stored dangerous chemicals, cyanide and combustible materials.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection on Saturday said that chemical oxygen demand and cyanide have been detected in the underground pipelines of blocked discharge outlets in the affected area, with the excessive discharge three to eight times higher than the standard.
(With inputs from PTI)