Tianjin Port Blast Kills 44

Forty-four people have died from a blast at Tianjin port, the main maritime gateway to Beijing
Forty-four people have died from a blast at Tianjin port, the main maritime gateway to Beijing
An explosion at a warehouse in China’s port city of Tianjin has left 44 dead and more than 500 injured, according to state-run news agency, Xinhua.
It’s understood the blast happened at a warehouse on Wednesday night (12th) and was followed by another, more powerful explosion and a series of smaller blasts. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Forty-four people have died from a blast at Tianjin port, the main maritime gateway to Beijing
Forty-four people have died from a blast at Tianjin port, the main maritime gateway to Beijing
An explosion at a warehouse in China’s port city of Tianjin has left 44 dead and more than 500 injured, according to state-run news agency, Xinhua.
It’s understood the blast happened at a warehouse on Wednesday night (12th) and was followed by another, more powerful explosion and a series of smaller blasts. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Global media reports say a large number of shipping containers have been damaged by the blast, as well as buildings and vehicles kilometres away.
Following the explosion, Chinese president Xi Jinping is urging governments at all levels to learn from the accident and enhance safety checks going forward. Authorities have also been urged to increase search and rescue operations in a bid to quickly find missing people and contain the fire. Twelve firefighters were among the dead.
President Jinping is reported to have said a thorough investigation is planned, the information of which will be disclosed to the public.
Apparently, the warehouse is owned by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co Ltd and is a storage and distribution centre for containers of dangerous goods at the Tianjin Port.
Port of Tianjin, which sits on the North-west coast of China is the largest port the North and the main maritime gateway to Beijing.
According to Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), operations at the port itself are slowly coming to a halt, with the oil, chemical and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminals closed.
It's understood the port authority has arranged some un-berthing of bulk ships from midday local time, but there is currently no schedule for vessels berthing and it is unknown when the terminals will re-open.
The number of casualties was correct at time of publishing.