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China blast: Terrifying footage of explosion emerges, but what do we know so far?

Questions over government transparency are also being asked.

Daily Leak / YouTube

FIRES ARE STILL burning in the Chinese city of Tianjijn after Wednesday night’s chemical explosions that killed at least 50 people and injured 700.

As more and more video footage of the blast emerges that show the scale of the devastation, fears about toxic chemicals poisoning the air are being raised.

There have also been concerns about the transparency of the investgation into the tragedy.

Here’s what we know so far.

How did the explosion occur? 

Firefighters were called to a blaze at a chemical storage facility on Wednesday night in an industrial zone of Tianjin, one of China’s biggest cities with a population of 15 million people.

Then, two massive explosions took place about 11:30 pm, with the blasts so powerful that they damaged buildings several kilometres away.

Giant fireballs also swept across the industrial zone.

Authorities have given no reason for the fire, or how it led to the explosions.

Authorities have also said they do not know what exactly was stored at the facility, although the company’s business was in dealing with a host of extremely dangerous chemicals.

China Port Explosion The charred remains of new cars parked near the site of the explosions. Ng Han Guan Ng Han Guan

How many casualties were there and who were they? 

At least 17 of the 50 people confirmed killed were firefighters who came to tackle the initial blaze. Many others were migrant workers who lived in dormitories nearby.

More than 700 injured were hospitalised, 70 of whom were still in critical condition Friday, according to Xinhua.

Eighteen firefighters remained missing, it said.

What was the extent of the damage? 

Residents likened the shockwaves to an earthquake, and buildings three kilometres away had their windows shattered.

About 10,000 new imported cars near the blast site were destroyed, according to Chinese media reports, rows upon rows of shipping containers crushed, and buildings reduced to burnt-out shells.

China Port Explosion An estimated 700 people were injured. Ng Han Guan Ng Han Guan

Even a kilometre away, building facades were damaged and showed burn marks. A light rail station had its roof partially caved in from the blast.

Up to 6,000 people were relocated on Thursday to schools because their homes were damaged by the shockwaves, according to Xinhua.

What has been the government’s response?

Authorities have struggled to completely extinguish the blaze, which was still smouldering on Friday morning, and determine exactly what was in the storage facility.

They have also moved to limit criticism of handling of the disaster, blocking some critical posts on social media.

China Port Explosion Ng Han Guan Ng Han Guan

Executives from the company that ran the storage facility, Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics were quickly detained on Thursday.

Firefighters and other rescue workers have continued to search for dozens of people still missing. One missing firefighter was pulled out alive from the debris on Friday morning.

What are the concerns now?

That extremely dangerous chemicals could be floating in the air, may still be leaking from the facility or could cause another explosion.

Chinese authorities have given mixed signals about the threat level.

Tianjin’s environment chief said on Thursday harmful chemicals detected in the air were not at “excessively high levels”, but did not provide details about the toxins.

China Port Explosion Fire fighters in protective gear as pink smoke billows from the site of the explosion. Ng Han Guan Ng Han Guan

A military team of 217 chemical and nuclear experts were deployed to test the air for toxic gases, and rescue teams wore protective clothing in the blast area.

An environmental expert told an official press conference Friday that toxic gas indicators were now within normal limits and the air “should be safe for residents to breathe”.

Chinese media said late Thursday that there were 700 tons of deadly sodium cyanide at the site, but those reports had by Friday been pulled off newspaper websites.

Tianjin’s work safety watchdog said on Friday morning that investigators did not know what was in the warehouse, partly because of problems with the company’s record keeping.

Greenpeace released a statement saying chemicals stored by the company could react violently with water and cause more explosions.

© – AFP 2015

Read: Tianjin: Explosion death toll rises to 50 as devastation is revealed >

Read: At least 13 dead, hundreds injured as massive explosion rocks Chinese city >

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    Mute Paula T Nolan
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    May 17th 2021, 3:12 PM

    Lingering resentment due to lingering cost – still paying the Universal Social Charge. Also, it gave employers a new license to shrimp on salaries. I now take home the same after tax pay as in 2008. Resentment? Bloody furious. Especially as most of the boyos who facilitated crash are lining the hulls of their yachts with a greasy coat of paint for summer.

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    Mute Chris Long
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    May 17th 2021, 2:45 PM

    Well if the banks employees says so…. its not like they’re on the payroll or anything!

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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    May 17th 2021, 3:24 PM

    @Chris Long: you should hear what a lot of people who work in the finance sector have to say about their employers – they are also on the payroll… Being on the payroll doesn’t make anyone give praise to their employers. Not saying the banks are great or anything but the point you are implying is heavily flawed.

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    Mute Adrian™
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    May 17th 2021, 3:03 PM

    Why would anyone say you have trust in a bank? Unless the mean they trust the bank to treat you like dirt and charge you handsomely for the pleasure…

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    Mute Michael Healy
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    May 17th 2021, 3:20 PM

    Banks had to be forced to put in a payment break for loans and mortgages in the first lockdown and wouldn’t even entertain it cone the second one, and yet wonder why people have low trust in banks. Some people think we have the bank debt paid off when in reality we are just adding the covid borrowing to the bank debt and we can forget things like the USC ever going away, meanwhile banks can put out these false mortgage and loan ads where they look great and friendly without realising when u fall on hard times, they turn into pack wolves and can cause people serious health issues trying to repay things back

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    Mute Jack Cass
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    May 17th 2021, 2:31 PM

    Ah! the innocence of youth.

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    Mute Karen Delaney
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    May 17th 2021, 3:47 PM

    They’ve given us no reason to trust them. While the rest of the population scrimped out a living on much reduced pay, bankers continued with high salaries and bonuses.

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    Mute Quiet Goer
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    May 17th 2021, 2:30 PM

    Pheic the cashless society

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    Mute Corkonian In Dublin
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    May 17th 2021, 7:28 PM

    Asking bank staff about bank culture is like asking Landlords to vote for rent increases. If you want to know the true state of the Irish banking sector look at Ulster Bank and KBC. They are both pulling out. Leaving the country with AIB, BOI and PTSB. All of whom took state bailouts (your and mine pension money) and have yet to repay all of it (nor will they). I would like the EU to insist on the government to all Irish Citizens to open bank accounts in any bank on mainland Europe away from the so called “Pillar Banks”

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    Mute Niall Donnelly
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    May 17th 2021, 5:17 PM

    Shower of Bankers!!!

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    Mute Deirdre O'Byrne
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    May 17th 2021, 7:06 PM

    @Niall Donnelly: wunch of bankers.

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    Mute whitewater
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    May 17th 2021, 6:35 PM

    You can always trust the banks to screw you over. The future of banking is the likes of Revolut and N26. Revolut did what the major banks have resisted for years.

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    Mute Mark
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    May 17th 2021, 7:37 PM

    @whitewater: Revolut is not a Bank and your money is NOT covered under the deposit guarantee scheme

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    May 17th 2021, 6:48 PM

    If they could just do their job properly. These days anyone who can make a decision is surrounded by a jungle of in_ept monkeys, making them nearly impossible to contact, 4 years waiting for BOI to let us draw down the last of our mortgage! Don’t build a house people, not with a bank at least.

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    Mute Bill Spill
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    May 17th 2021, 9:19 PM

    @thesaltyurchin: 4 years waiting on the last drawdown?!?!? There HAS to be more to that story! Genuinely interested if you want to share

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    Mute Dsds
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    May 17th 2021, 7:14 PM

    I would have more trust in a politician than I would in a banker…..

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    May 17th 2021, 7:36 PM

    Irish Banking Culture Board!

    Was tried and tested First-World Corporate Governance procedures set down for Plc’s, including for Banks, not sufficient to establish an acceptable culture here, Boss?

    Is Ireland the only country on the planet with such a quaintly named organisation that’s established to assure the public that adherence to procedures manuals, first written hundreds of years ago on proper behaviour in day-to-day banking, is no longer optional for the senior management?

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