fbpx
Wikipedia

2015 Tianjin explosions

On 12 August 2015, a series of explosions at the Port of Tianjin in Tianjin, Northern China, killed 173 people, according to official reports,[2] and injured hundreds of others. The explosions occurred at a container storage station in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China. The first two explosions occurred 33 seconds apart.[3] The second explosion was much larger and involved the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (approx. 256 tonnes TNT equivalent).[4][5] Fires caused by the initial explosions continued to burn uncontrolled throughout the weekend, resulting in eight additional explosions on 15 August.

2015 Tianjin explosions
Fireball from the second explosion
Date12 August 2015
Time~23:30 – 2:00 CST (UTC)
VenuePort of Tianjin
LocationBinhai, Tianjin, China
Coordinates39°02′23″N 117°44′11″E / 39.03972°N 117.73639°E / 39.03972; 117.73639
TypeAmmonium nitrate disaster
CauseAuto-ignition of nitrocellulose[1]
Deaths173 (including 8 missing, presumed dead)
Non-fatal injuries801
Location of the explosion

The cause of the explosions was not immediately known, but an investigation concluded in February 2016 that an overheated container of dry nitrocellulose was the cause of the initial explosion.[6] The official casualty report was 173 deaths, 8 missing, and 798 non-fatal injuries. Of the 173 fatalities, 104 were firefighters.[7]

Background edit

Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics (天津东疆保税港区瑞海国际物流有限公司), or Ruihai Logistics (瑞海物流), is a privately held logistics company established in 2011. It handled hazardous chemicals within the Port of Tianjin, such as flammable and corrosive substances, oxidizing agents, and toxic chemicals. The company, which employed 70, was designated by the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration (天津海事局) as an approved agent for handling these hazardous chemicals at the port,[8] and its operating license was renewed two months prior to the explosions.[9] Its 46,000-square-metre (500,000 sq ft) site, roughly the size of two city blocks, contained multiple warehouses for hazardous goods, a fire pump and a fire pond.[10]

The warehouse building, owned by Ruihai Logistics, is recorded in a 2014 government document as being a hazardous chemical storage facility for calcium carbide, sodium nitrate, and potassium nitrate.[11] Safety regulations requiring that public buildings and facilities should be at least 1 kilometre away were not followed, and local inhabitants were unaware of the danger.[9][12] The authorities stated that poor record keeping, damage to the office facilities and "major discrepancies" with customs meant that they were unable to identify the substances stored.[13] State media revealed that Ruihai had only received its authorisation to handle dangerous chemicals less than two months earlier, meaning that it had been operating illegally from October 2014, when its temporary license had expired, to June 2015.[14][15]

Explosions edit

The first reports of a fire at a warehouse in the Binhai New Area began coming in at around 22:50 local time (14:50 UTC) on 12 August. The first responders were unable to keep the fire from spreading. Firefighters who first arrived on the scene proceeded to douse the fire with water as they were unaware that dangerous chemicals were stored on the site, thereby setting in motion a series of more violent chemical reactions.[9][11]

At around 23:30 (15:30 UTC), the first explosion occurred and registered as a magnitude 2.3 earthquake,[16] generating seismic shock-waves energetically equivalent to 2.9 tonnes of TNT. After 30 seconds, a second, much more powerful explosion occurred, causing most of the damage and injuries with shock-waves felt many kilometres away. The second explosion registered as a magnitude 2.9 earthquake and generated seismic shock-waves with energy equivalent to 21.9 tonnes of TNT.[17][18][19] The resulting fireballs reached hundreds of meters in height.[20] Around 23:40 (15:40 UTC) on 15 August, a series of eight smaller explosions occurred in the port as fire from the original blasts continued to spread.[21][22][23] The total energy release was equivalent to 28 tonnes of TNT, or 100GJ.

The explosion was large enough to be photographed by Himawari, a geostationary meteorological satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).[24] Chinese scientists subsequently estimated that the second more powerful explosion involved the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, based on crater size and lethality radius (336 tons TNT equivalent, based on relative effectiveness factor of 0.42).[4]

One month after the explosion, official reports listed 173 deaths and 797 injuries.[2][25] Media reported the area to be densely populated, with around 5,600 families living within 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) radius of the plant, the closest being only 520 metres (1,710 ft; 570 yd) away.[9][26] Neither the developers nor the buyers were aware of the latent dangers of the activities at the nearby site; developers claimed also to be victims.[26][27] According to the Tianjin government, more than 700 people were injured by the explosion,[28] many with extensive injuries, mostly from burns and explosive blast injuries. Over a thousand firefighters were on scene, and 95 were killed.[29][30] One surviving firefighter from his team, a 19-year-old named Zhou Ti (周倜), was found on the morning of 14 August.[31] The death toll, which also included 11 police officers, was the worst in a single incident for Chinese front line responders since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.[32][33]

Damage edit

 
Destroyed car at Donghai Road Station

Photographs and videos showed extensive destruction in and around the warehouse compound,[34][35] with an enormous crater at the blast site.[15] The buildings of seven more surrounding logistics companies were destroyed,[36] and large quantities of intermodal container stacks were toppled and thrown by the forces of the explosions.[34] More than eight thousand new cars from Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, Renault, and Toyota, parked in lots located near the blast site, were largely burned as a result of the initial explosions.[37][38] Multiple buildings surrounding the blast site were declared "structurally unsafe".[citation needed] In total, 304 buildings, 12,428 cars, and 7,533 intermodal containers were damaged.[39] Beyond insurance, the cost to businesses of the break in the supply chain caused by the explosions was estimated at $9 billion, making it the third most expensive supply chain disruption of 2015.[40]

Apartment blocks 2 km (1.2 mi) from the site sustained shattered glass, loss of roof tiles and damage to ceilings – with 17,000 units being affected.[31][41] Nearby Donghai Road Station suffered severe damage as a result of the explosions and was closed until 2016, as was the rest of Line 9 of the Tianjin Metro beginning on 13 August.[42] A Japanese department store four kilometres away reported damage to walls and ceilings.[43] The explosions also affected the National Supercomputing Center of Tianjin several kilometres away, knocking out windows and causing some internal ceilings to collapse; the center's supercomputer Tianhe-1A itself was not damaged.[44]

Cause edit

It is not known what chemicals were being stored at the site.[12] In addition to vast quantities of sodium cyanide and calcium carbide, paperwork was discovered showing that 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 500 tonnes of potassium nitrate were at the blast site.[15] On 17 August, the deputy director of the public security bureau's fire department told CCTV:

Over 40 kinds of hazardous chemicals [were stored on site]. As far as we know, there was ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate. According to what we know so far, all together there should have been around 3,000 tonnes.[45]

Ammonium nitrate, which is predominantly used as an agricultural fertilizer, oxidizing agent in explosive compositions, and in manufacturing of other chemicals, has been the cause of a number of other fatal industrial explosions. A fire department spokesman confirmed that firefighters had used water in combating the initial fire, which may have led to water being sprayed on calcium carbide, releasing the highly flammable gas acetylene. This would have provided the fuel source for reaction with the oxidizer, ammonium nitrate, thus triggering its detonation more readily.[46]

Pollution edit

At least 700 tonnes of highly toxic sodium cyanide was stored at the site – 70 times the legal limit.[47][48][49] Sodium cyanide leakage was reported in the sewer.[50][51] On 13 August, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, all of which are toxic, were detected within 500 m (1,600 ft) of the origin of the explosion, but the levels conformed with the national standards. Gases were undetectable 2 km (1.2 mi) from the site during initial testing on 14 August.[13]

When the first rains after the initial explosions arrived on 18 August, white chemical foam covered the streets. Citizens complained of burning sensations and rashes on sensitive skin regions after coming into contact with rain droplets. However, meteorologists and health experts sought to reassure the public that the rain was not directly harmful to health, whilst the Environment Protection Board advised against exposure to the rain due to traces of cyanide dust reacting with water.[52]

Thousands of dead sticklebacks washed up on the banks 6 km from the explosion site on 20 August, fuelling fears of water contamination. Officials downplayed the fears, saying that there were not high levels of cyanide in the river and that the fish likely died due to oxygen depletion in the water.[53]

More precipitation throughout August in the Binhai New Area brought more complaints of skin irritations and burns from volunteers and journalists. A bright white foam manifested yet again on the streets in a similar manner to before. Deng Xiaowen, director of Tianjin's environmental monitoring centre, stated that the foam was "a normal phenomenon when rain falls, and similar things have occurred before".[54]

Immediate aftermath edit

 
Two security inspectors wearing dust masks near the barricade tape off the scene
A news report surveys the aftermath and questions locals.

On Thursday morning, the Chinese leaders ordered officers in the city to make full effort in rescuing the injured, and search for those missing. Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Li Keqiang, the Premier of the People's Republic of China, instructed police to investigate the cause of the incident and punish those responsible for the blast.[55]

Tianjin officials, concerned at the potential public response, announced initially that fourteen people had perished in the explosions, but later raised the death toll to forty-four once the scale of the explosions became clear. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) cited a Tianjin police source that officers had been instructed to remove bodies from the scene to deliberately understate the official death toll, which angered the Tianjin government.[56]

The morning following the explosion, military personnel began to arrive in Tianjin to help with the search and recovery efforts. Extra equipment, such as bulldozers, were brought in to help with the clean-up operation. Over 200 nuclear and biochemical experts, including a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency, began arriving in Tianjin to assess the health risks from the chemicals being released into the atmosphere. Government personnel set up twelve temporary monitoring stations near the blast site with above-normal levels of pollutants being detected. A nearby drainage outlet was also closed, and water quality tested.[57]

Firefighting was suspended on the afternoon of 13 August due to the uncertainty of the content and quantity of hazardous materials being stored on site. A team of over two hundred chemical specialists was deployed to assess the hazardous materials on site and dangers to the environment, and to determine the best way to put out the remaining fires and proceed with search and rescue and clean-up operations.[58] Later that day, rescue personnel were dispatched in an attempt to remove the 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide believed to be stored at the site, with hydrogen peroxide being prepared to neutralise the chemicals.[59] Daily press conferences were organised. A press conference organised by local officials held on 14 August came to an abrupt end when a journalist began asking questions as to why such dangerous chemicals were stockpiled so close to housing estates.[27]

Initially, more than three thousand five hundred area residents were staying in temporary shelters,[59] but the number surpassed six thousand within three days.[60] The government issued an evacuation order over concerns of further explosions; not all residents complied.[31]

On 15 August, local authorities ordered the evacuation of residents within a 3 km (1.9 mi) radius of the blast site, prompted by the threat of "toxic substances",[61] including sodium cyanide.[23]

The State Council ordered inspections of all businesses using dangerous chemicals and explosives across the country.[12][47]

Company ownership edit

Hong Kong media announced that Li Liang, the major shareholder of Ruihai Logistics – owning 55%, was the nephew of former chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and ex-party chief of Tianjin, Li Ruihuan, and that the company may have been named after his brother and Li Liang's father;[9] the remaining 45% was owned by Shu Zheng.[62] Reports in state media one week after the explosion were contradictory, holding that Ruihai was owned via proxies by Yu Xuewei, the chairman of Ruihai and a former senior executive at Sinochem, and Dong Shexuan, who served as the company's vice-president and who had been arrested by police by the time of the reports. Dong Shexuan is the son of Tianjin port's former police chief Dong Peijun, who was a colleague of Wu Changshun, the former chief of the public security bureau of Tianjin.[63][64] The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), CPC's anti-corruption body, charged Wu Changshun with bribery in 2014; Dong Peijun was also under investigation for corruption, but died that year.[64]

Investigation edit

After the explosions, the CCDI placed Yang Dongliang, Director of the State Administration of Work Safety and China's highest work-safety official, under investigation on 18 August 2015. Yang had previously served as Tianjin's vice mayor for 11 years. In 2012, Yang Dongliang had issued an order to loosen rules for the handling of hazardous substances, which may have enabled Ruihai to store toxic chemicals such as sodium cyanide.[64]

On 27 August, Xinhua reported that police had arrested twelve people with suspected connections to the explosions, including Ruihai Logistics' chairman, vice-chairman, and at least three other managers, with the other seven people unnamed.[65]

On 5 February 2016, the Chinese government issued the investigation report of the explosions. The report concluded the fire started in a container through auto-ignition of nitrocellulose, due to vaporization of the wetting agent during hot weather.[1]

On 8 November 2016, various courts in China handed jail sentences to 49 government officials and warehouse executives and staff for their roles in circumventing the safety rules that led to the disaster. Yu Xuewei, the Chairman of Ruihai Logistics, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.[66]

Response edit

Reactions edit

Immediately following the blasts, the company website was taken down, fuelling suspicions that an attempt was being made to shield owners with powerful political connections.[9][62][67] For several days, local residents seeking compensation for their homes protested in front of the venue of the daily press conference. They were joined by distraught families of missing firefighters and confronted police angrily.[41][47][49]

The Chinese public security minister threatened severe punishment for those found to be responsible for the explosions. However, the authorities did not release any significant information for several days about the chemicals and circumstances, causing public anger to mount during this time.[68][69] Marking an official change of tack that suggested top-level endorsement,[56] the official People's Daily joined in to criticise local officials' lack of candour and their use of bureaucratic jargon.[41][69] In addition, the Global Times remarked on the inadequacy of emergency response and the reluctance of high-ranking officials to answer the public's questions or address their concerns until four days after the blasts.[41] The People's Daily acknowledged that public scepticism of the reported death toll was fuelling rampant rumours; there was disquiet over the emergency assistance provided and the way the aftermath was being handled.[70][71] Attempting to defuse widespread anger at the lack of official transparency, mouthpieces of the ruling party declared that investigations would be thorough and transparent.[72] Former deputy mayor Yang Dongliang was put under investigation for corruption; mayor Huang Xingguo proclaimed his "unshirkable responsibility for this accident".[69][73] Authorities released information about the ownership of Ruihai, as well as a confession by one beneficial owner for the proxy shareholdings.[69][clarification needed]

Meanwhile, Greenpeace Asia alleged that two Sinochem subsidiaries – Sinochem Tianjin Binhai Logistics Company (with a 130,000-square-metre (1,400,000 sq ft) site) and Tianjin Port Sinochem Hazardous Goods Logistics Company Ltd. – had warehouses in the vicinity in close proximity to a primary and a nursery school, meaning that both were in similar breach of laws.[73]

Observers stated that top officials always attempt to show such disasters as isolated instances, have never accepted political accountability nor addressed the underlying governance issues, and have always heavily censored any criticism of the central government.[68][69] Willy Lam, professor at CUHK and senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, noted the highly unusual period of four days it took for Li Keqiang to make an official visit, suggesting that the lack of a top-ranking visitor to a major disaster site within forty-eight hours despite the proximity to Beijing reflected "division among the leadership on who should be the fall guy."[12][47][68]

Media coverage edit

News outlets edit

Initially, Tianjin authorities banned editors and reporters from sharing information about the disaster on Weibo and WeChat, and websites were ordered to follow state media.[74]

The Tianjin internet police warned social media users to use only official casualty figures.[75]

Tianjin Television had reported the explosion on their early morning news at 7:00 am,[76][77] but citizens complained that the station had not reported live nor updated on the event, instead showing soap operas eight hours later.[78][79][80]

Social media edit

A great deal of specific information on the event, including the majority of early stage video, was first released over social media sites, and in particular microblogging platforms like Weibo. Major media has drawn heavily from social media sources, greatly widening the audience. The Economist noted, "Social media fills in the blanks left by official narratives of the Tianjin disaster. The most remarkable feature of the aftermath of the explosions in Tianjin, in Northern China, has been the extraordinary contrast between the official reaction to the crisis, which has been profoundly flawed, and the online reaction, which has entirely dominated the agenda."[81]

Censorship and criticism edit

Professional and social media reports were censored by Chinese authorities.[82] The censorship rate increased tenfold on the social media site Weibo,[83] with users reporting the deletion of their posts regarding the blasts, with "Tianjin" and "explosion" being the most censored words.[78][79][84][85] An article by Caijing, which carried an interview with a firefighter who said that no-one on the front line had been informed of the dangerous chemicals on site that would react exothermically when mixed with water, was deleted after it had been reposted 10,000 times; many other posts mentioning the existence of deadly sodium cyanide were also expunged.[84]

The Cyberspace Administration of China banned all journalists from posting to social media, and insisted on strict adherence to Xinhua's editorial line. On 15 August, it announced that it had shut down 18 websites and suspended 32 more for spreading false information.[86][87][88][89][90] More than 360 Weibo and public WeChat accounts which had allegedly been spreading such false rumors have been "punished according to laws". Of these accounts, over 160 were shut down permanently.[91]

Press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) accused the Chinese state media of playing up the heroic efforts of rescue workers and firefighters while downplaying the causes of the explosions and the number of casualties. RSF said that censorship by the Chinese authorities showed "a flagrant indifference to the public's legitimate concerns".[86]

A CNN correspondent was interrupted by bystanders and forced to leave during a live report outside TEDA Hospital.[78][92] A journalist from the Beijing News reported that he and two other reporters were chased by police, caught, searched, and made to delete photographs from their cameras and computers.[93]

Clean-up and redress edit

 
The entrance to Haigang Park, built on the site of the original explosion, in 2021

Tianjin officials announced that as at the deadline on 3 September 2015, more than 9,000 households out of some 17,000 affected by the explosions had signed agreements to settle their damages claims. It was reported that some had chosen to sell their damaged apartments to private developers, who offered them around 130% of the original purchase price, while others accepted an offer from the local government promising to fix the damaged apartments. The local government offered an additional of ¥20,000 renminbi ($3,100) to those who agreed to settle their claims by the deadline. The New York Times journalists, however, reported that some owners had faced heavy pressure from government officials to settle; similarly, owners who were employees in state-owned enterprises were under threat of dismissal from their bosses for not settling.[94][95]

On 10 September 2015 China Daily reported that families of the firefighters killed in the explosions would each receive compensation of 2.3 million yuan (US$360,669), citing a report in Beijing News. It was reported that a monument would be built on the site and that the government planned to compensate residents whose houses were damaged by repurchasing them at 130% of their purchase price.[96]

Less than a month after the disaster, the Tianjin government announced a proposal to turn the site into an "ecological park", repurposing the explosion crater as a lake and promising a memorial to the victims to be built on site. The proposal was heavily criticized on Chinese social media, which derided the rushed announcement as an attempt to erase the damage and avoid accountability.[97] The resulting Haigang Park [zh], opened in early 2017, was further criticized for being an extremely rushed and sloppy design. Both the crater lake and the proposed memorial were ultimately discarded; as a result, there is currently no permanent memorial to the disaster.[citation needed]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Tianjin blast probe suggests action against 123 people". Xinhua News Agency. 5 February 2016. from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Tianjin explosion: China sets final death toll at 173, ending search for survivors". The Guardian. Associated Press. 12 September 2015. from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  3. ^ Tianjin explosion video captures fear of eyewitnesses, retrieved 17 May 2022 – via BBC News
  4. ^ a b Huang, Ping; Zhang, Jingyuan (2015). "Facts related to August 12, 2015 explosion accident in Tianjin, China". Process Safety Progress. 34 (4): 313–314. doi:10.1002/prs.11789. S2CID 108813335.
  5. ^ Török, Zoltán; Ozunu, Alexandru (2015). "Hazardous properties of ammonium nitrate and modeling of explosions using TNT equivalency". Environmental Engineering and Management Journal. 14 (11): 2671–2678. doi:10.30638/eemj.2015.284.
  6. ^ Jean-François Tremblay (8 February 2016). "Chinese Investigators Identify Cause of Tianjin Explosion". Chemical & Engineering News. from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016. The immediate cause of the accident was the spontaneous ignition of overly dry nitrocellulose stored in a container that overheated, according to the report, issued on Feb. 5.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "天津爆炸企业"瑞海物流"是个什么公司?". The Beijing News (in Chinese). 13 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "大爆炸倉庫違規經營 老闆是李瑞環姪 – 蘋果日報 – 要聞港聞 – 20150815". Apple Daily (in Chinese). 15 August 2015. from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  10. ^ (in Chinese). Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  11. ^ a b "天津爆炸:消防员未被告知不能用水灭火". Southern Weekly. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d "Tianjin blasts: Another of China's 'profound lessons'". CNN. 17 August 2015. from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b Shanglin, Luan (14 August 2015). (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  14. ^ . Xinhua News Agency. 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Ryan, Fergus (18 August 2015). "Tianjin explosions: warehouse 'handled toxic chemicals without licence' – reports". The Guardian. from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  16. ^ "China explosions: Tianjin blasts 'on seismic scale'". BBC News. 13 August 2015. from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  17. ^ "China explosions: Tianjin blasts 'on seismic scale'". BBC News. 13 August 2015. from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Death toll in China's Tianjin explosion rises to 50: Reports". CNBC. 13 August 2015. from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  19. ^ "China explosions: What we know about what happened in Tianjin". BBC News. BBC. 17 August 2015. from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  20. ^ "Huge explosion in Chinese port city of Tianjin". The Guardian. 12 August 2015. from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  21. ^ "Winds change at Tianjin blast site, chemicals spread". eCNA. Reuters and Agence France-Presse. 15 August 2015. from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  22. ^ Huey Fern Tay (15 August 2015). "China explosions: New blasts hampering search in Tianjin as residents evacuated over chemical fears". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Reuters. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  23. ^ a b Julia Glum (15 August 2015). "Tianjin 'A Ghost Town' After Explosions, Evacuations Amid Concern Over Chemicals in Air". International Business Times. from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  24. ^ "Tianjin explosions visible from space". The Guardian. 13 August 2015. from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  25. ^ (in Chinese). Sohu. 2 September 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  26. ^ a b "天津滨海新区爆炸事发地居民:希望政府回购房屋". guancha.cn. from the original on 24 September 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Death Toll in Chinese Fire Rises, Along With Anger at Apparent Safety Lapses". The New York Times. 14 August 2015. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  28. ^ "Update 10-Huge blasts at Chinese port kill 50, injure more than 700". Reuters. 13 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  29. ^ . Sohu News (in Chinese). 2 September 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  30. ^ "天津滨海爆炸事故遇难人数升至159人" (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 2 September 2015. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  31. ^ a b c Ryan, Fergus; Phillips, Tom (14 August 2015). "China blasts: thousands seek refuge as Tianjin explosions death toll reaches 55". The Guardian. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  32. ^ Makinen, Julie (15 August 2015). "Amid new explosions and fires at site of Chinese blasts, there is confusion over evacuation order". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  33. ^ "China: Tianjin port explosion death toll rises to 121". The Indian Express. 22 August 2015. from the original on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  34. ^ a b Phipps, Claire; Weaver, Matthew (13 August 2015). "China blasts: fireball from Tianjin explosions injures hundreds and kills at least 44 – latest updates". The Guardian. from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  35. ^ "China explosion: Drone footage shows Tianjin blast site". BBC News. 13 August 2015. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  36. ^ "At least 17 dead as huge warehouse blasts hit Chinese port". 12 August 2015.
  37. ^ "Large Explosion Burns 8,000 Cars in China". Auto Guide. 13 August 2015. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Tianjin explosion destroys over 8,000 new cars in China". Digital Trends. 14 August 2015. from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  39. ^ "107页调查报告详解天津港爆炸事故真相-搜狐". mt.sohu.com. from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  40. ^ . Resilinc. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  41. ^ a b c d "China's Response to the Tianjin Explosions". The Atlantic. 17 August 2015. from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  42. ^ 网易. (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  43. ^ , The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan, 14 August 2015, archived from the original on 13 September 2015, retrieved 15 August 2015
  44. ^ . Xinhua News Agency. 12 August 2015. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  45. ^ Vivienne Zeng (18 August 2015). "3,000 tonnes of dangerous chemicals were stored at Tianjin explosion site, say police". Hong Kong Free Press. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  46. ^ "Searching Questions Asked in the Aftermath of the Tianjin Blasts". Time. 14 August 2015. from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  47. ^ a b c d "Tianjin explosions: sodium cyanide on site may have been 70 times allowed amount". The Guardian. 16 August 2015. from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  48. ^ "爆炸现场下午将降雨 700吨氰化纳遇水生剧毒" (in Chinese). from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  49. ^ a b "Tianjin Death Toll Climbs as Crews Scramble to Clear Site of Chemicals". NBC News. 16 August 2015. from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  50. ^ "爆炸物主要为硝酸类化学品,下水沟里检出氰化钠" (in Chinese). Sina Corp. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  51. ^ ck 13465. "媒体:天津爆炸现场下水沟检出氰化钠 说明已经泄露" (in Chinese). from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ Varghese, Johnlee (18 August 2015). "Tianjin Aftermath: 'Chemical Rain' Leaves Streets Foaming, Residents Complain about Rashes". The International Business Times. from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  53. ^ Phillips, Tom (20 August 2015). "Chinese authorities investigate mass fish death near Tianjin explosion site". The Guardian. from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  54. ^ Li, Jing; Huang, Keira Lu; Jun, Mai (26 August 2015). "Mystery white foam and burns reported as rain falls at Tianjin blast site sparking fears of toxic reactions". South China Morning Post. from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  55. ^ "CNN, local Chinese media struggle to report on Tianjin explosion". 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  56. ^ a b Grenfell, Oscar (29 August 2015). "Chinese officials, company executives detained over Tianjin explosion". World Socialist Web Site. from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  57. ^ "Tianjin detects harmful air pollutants, Beijing stays clear". China Daily. 13 August 2015. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  58. ^ "Timeline of Tianjin explosions". Shanghai Daily. 13 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  59. ^ a b "China explosions: Chemical specialists sent to Tianjin". BBC News. 13 August 2015. from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  60. ^ "China explosions: More than 6,000 displaced, in temporary shelters after Tianjin blasts". ABC News. 15 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  61. ^ "China Tianjin blasts: Evacuation of residents ordered". BBC News. 14 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  62. ^ a b "What Tianjin disaster tells us about HK's future". EJ Insight. 20 August 2015. from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  63. ^ "China explosions: Firm owners 'used connections to get licences'". BBC News. 19 August 2015. from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  64. ^ a b c "Poisonous connections". The Economist. 22 August 2015. from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  65. ^ "Chinese police arrest 12 in Tianjin blast probe: Report". CNBC. 26 August 2015. from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  66. ^ "China Jails 49 Over Deadly Tianjin Warehouse Explosions". NPR. 9 November 2016. from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  67. ^ Zheping Haung (13 August 2015). "Pick your poison: The firm behind huge explosions in Tianjin handles all manner of hazardous chemicals". Quartz. from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  68. ^ a b c Haas, Benjamin (18 August 2015). "China's disaster playbook falls short in Tianjin blasts". Hong Kong Free Press. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  69. ^ a b c d e Levin, Dan (19 August 2015). "Chinese Report Details Role of Political Connections in Tianjin Blasts". The New York Times. from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  70. ^ "Top executives detained as China investigates Tianjin warehouse blasts". CNN. 18 August 2015. from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  71. ^ Macauley, Richard (19 August 2015). "Chinese state media's surprising suggestion for Tianjin blasts: actually tell people what's happening". Quartz. from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  72. ^ Phillips, Tom (17 August 2015). "Tianjin blasts: Communist party insists there will be no cover-up as anger grows". The Guardian. from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  73. ^ a b Phillips, Tom (19 August 2015). "Tianjin blast: more warehouses accused of violating rules on toxic materials". The Guardian. from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  74. ^ Wertime, David (13 August 2015). "Four Questions Chinese People Want Answered After Deadly Tianjin Blast". Foreign Policy. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  75. ^ "Tianjin, China, explosions: 50 dead, more than 700 injured". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 August 2015. from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015. The Tianjin Internet Police, on their official microblog, warned social media users to stick to official reports about the number of dead and injured, saying that there would be 'zero tolerance for creating rumours'.
  76. ^ . CNTV. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  77. ^ "媒体:天津大爆炸 别再让谣言"爆炸"(Chinese)". iFeng. 14 August 2015. from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  78. ^ a b c Cheung, Eric (13 August 2015). "CNN, local Chinese media struggle to report on Tianjin explosion". Hong Kong Free Press. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  79. ^ a b "China silences netizens critical of "disgraceful" blast coverage". BBC News. 13 August 2015. from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  80. ^ Hanrahan, Mark (13 August 2015). "Tianjin Explosions: National Disasters In China Prompt Wave of Media Censorship". International Business Times. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  81. ^ "Accountability in China. A blast in Tianjin sets off an explosion online". Economist. 18 August 2015. from the original on 19 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  82. ^ "Media Directives on Tianjin Port Explosions". China Digital Times. 15 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  83. ^ "China's Censors Scramble to Contain Online Fallout After Tianjin Blast". The Wall Street Journal. 14 August 2015. from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  84. ^ a b Custer, C. (13 August 2015). "Chinese authorities clamp down on Tianjin explosion tweets". Tech in Asia. from the original on 6 September 2015.
  85. ^ Bodeen, Christopher (13 August 2015). . Associated Press. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015.
  86. ^ a b "AUTHORITIES SUPPRESS 'RIGHT TO KNOW' ABOUT TIANJIN EXPLOSIONS". Reports Without Borders. 18 August 2015. from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  87. ^ "China Shutters 50 Websites For 'Inciting Panic' Over the Tianjin Disaster". Time. 17 August 2015. from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  88. ^ "'方圆一公里无生命迹象'?谣言!" (in Chinese). Sohu. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  89. ^ "网信办查处50家涉天津爆炸谣言网站" (in Chinese). Sina Corp. from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  90. ^ . I Cross China. 16 August 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  91. ^ "传播涉天津港爆炸事故谣言 逾300微博微信号被查处 (Chinese)". iFeng. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  92. ^ "Emotions run high at Chinese hospital after blasts". CNN. 13 August 2015. from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  93. ^ Zeng, Vivienne (18 August 2015). "Journalist's diary highlights difficulties in reporting Tianjin blasts". Hong Kong Free Press. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  94. ^ "Tianjin Homeowners Tell of Compensation Pressure". China Digital Times. 11 September 2015. from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  95. ^ Hernández, Javier C. (4 September 2015). "Weeks After Tianjin Blasts, Many Residents Await Compensation for Damaged Homes". The New York Times. from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  96. ^ "Tianjin announces compensations for martyred firefighters' families". China Daily. from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  97. ^ "Tianjin blasts: plans to turn site into 'eco park' mocked on Chinese social media". The Guardian. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2022.

External links edit

  • Tianjin Explosion video recorded by Daniel van Duren from a high-rise building in the vicinity
  • Extended panoramic view of Tianjin blast site, drone video, New China TV, 14 August 2015.
  • Drone video of Tianjin explosion aftermath, New China, 14 August 2015.
  • Close footage of the second explosion; footage ends when the camera and the surrounding area are destroyed by the shockwave
  • (official site) (in Chinese), archived from the original on 12 August 2015.
  • "Casualties Increasing in Huge Explosion in China", News 365 Today, 13 August 2015.
  • , QQ Maps Street View, archived from the original on 31 March 2015, retrieved 18 March 2016.
  • "天津港"8·12"瑞海公司危险品仓库 特别重大火灾爆炸事故调查报告", State Administration of Work Safety (report), China.

2015, tianjin, explosions, help, expand, this, article, with, text, translated, from, corresponding, article, chinese, december, 2022, click, show, important, translation, instructions, machine, translation, like, deepl, google, translate, useful, starting, po. You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Chinese December 2022 Click show for important translation instructions Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Chinese Wikipedia article at zh 2015年天津港危化品倉庫爆炸事故 see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated zh 2015年天津港危化品倉庫爆炸事故 to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation On 12 August 2015 a series of explosions at the Port of Tianjin in Tianjin Northern China killed 173 people according to official reports 2 and injured hundreds of others The explosions occurred at a container storage station in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin China The first two explosions occurred 33 seconds apart 3 The second explosion was much larger and involved the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate approx 256 tonnes TNT equivalent 4 5 Fires caused by the initial explosions continued to burn uncontrolled throughout the weekend resulting in eight additional explosions on 15 August 2015 Tianjin explosionsFireball from the second explosionDate12 August 2015Time 23 30 2 00 CST UTC VenuePort of TianjinLocationBinhai Tianjin ChinaCoordinates39 02 23 N 117 44 11 E 39 03972 N 117 73639 E 39 03972 117 73639TypeAmmonium nitrate disasterCauseAuto ignition of nitrocellulose 1 Deaths173 including 8 missing presumed dead Non fatal injuries801Location of the explosionThe cause of the explosions was not immediately known but an investigation concluded in February 2016 that an overheated container of dry nitrocellulose was the cause of the initial explosion 6 The official casualty report was 173 deaths 8 missing and 798 non fatal injuries Of the 173 fatalities 104 were firefighters 7 Contents 1 Background 2 Explosions 2 1 Damage 2 2 Cause 2 3 Pollution 3 Immediate aftermath 4 Company ownership 5 Investigation 6 Response 6 1 Reactions 6 2 Media coverage 6 2 1 News outlets 6 2 2 Social media 6 2 3 Censorship and criticism 6 3 Clean up and redress 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksBackground editTianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics 天津东疆保税港区瑞海国际物流有限公司 or Ruihai Logistics 瑞海物流 is a privately held logistics company established in 2011 It handled hazardous chemicals within the Port of Tianjin such as flammable and corrosive substances oxidizing agents and toxic chemicals The company which employed 70 was designated by the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration 天津海事局 as an approved agent for handling these hazardous chemicals at the port 8 and its operating license was renewed two months prior to the explosions 9 Its 46 000 square metre 500 000 sq ft site roughly the size of two city blocks contained multiple warehouses for hazardous goods a fire pump and a fire pond 10 The warehouse building owned by Ruihai Logistics is recorded in a 2014 government document as being a hazardous chemical storage facility for calcium carbide sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate 11 Safety regulations requiring that public buildings and facilities should be at least 1 kilometre away were not followed and local inhabitants were unaware of the danger 9 12 The authorities stated that poor record keeping damage to the office facilities and major discrepancies with customs meant that they were unable to identify the substances stored 13 State media revealed that Ruihai had only received its authorisation to handle dangerous chemicals less than two months earlier meaning that it had been operating illegally from October 2014 when its temporary license had expired to June 2015 14 15 Explosions editThe first reports of a fire at a warehouse in the Binhai New Area began coming in at around 22 50 local time 14 50 UTC on 12 August The first responders were unable to keep the fire from spreading Firefighters who first arrived on the scene proceeded to douse the fire with water as they were unaware that dangerous chemicals were stored on the site thereby setting in motion a series of more violent chemical reactions 9 11 At around 23 30 15 30 UTC the first explosion occurred and registered as a magnitude 2 3 earthquake 16 generating seismic shock waves energetically equivalent to 2 9 tonnes of TNT After 30 seconds a second much more powerful explosion occurred causing most of the damage and injuries with shock waves felt many kilometres away The second explosion registered as a magnitude 2 9 earthquake and generated seismic shock waves with energy equivalent to 21 9 tonnes of TNT 17 18 19 The resulting fireballs reached hundreds of meters in height 20 Around 23 40 15 40 UTC on 15 August a series of eight smaller explosions occurred in the port as fire from the original blasts continued to spread 21 22 23 The total energy release was equivalent to 28 tonnes of TNT or 100GJ The explosion was large enough to be photographed by Himawari a geostationary meteorological satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency JMA 24 Chinese scientists subsequently estimated that the second more powerful explosion involved the detonation of about 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate based on crater size and lethality radius 336 tons TNT equivalent based on relative effectiveness factor of 0 42 4 One month after the explosion official reports listed 173 deaths and 797 injuries 2 25 Media reported the area to be densely populated with around 5 600 families living within 1 5 kilometres 0 93 mi radius of the plant the closest being only 520 metres 1 710 ft 570 yd away 9 26 Neither the developers nor the buyers were aware of the latent dangers of the activities at the nearby site developers claimed also to be victims 26 27 According to the Tianjin government more than 700 people were injured by the explosion 28 many with extensive injuries mostly from burns and explosive blast injuries Over a thousand firefighters were on scene and 95 were killed 29 30 One surviving firefighter from his team a 19 year old named Zhou Ti 周倜 was found on the morning of 14 August 31 The death toll which also included 11 police officers was the worst in a single incident for Chinese front line responders since the founding of the People s Republic of China in 1949 32 33 Damage edit nbsp Destroyed car at Donghai Road StationPhotographs and videos showed extensive destruction in and around the warehouse compound 34 35 with an enormous crater at the blast site 15 The buildings of seven more surrounding logistics companies were destroyed 36 and large quantities of intermodal container stacks were toppled and thrown by the forces of the explosions 34 More than eight thousand new cars from Hyundai Kia Volkswagen Renault and Toyota parked in lots located near the blast site were largely burned as a result of the initial explosions 37 38 Multiple buildings surrounding the blast site were declared structurally unsafe citation needed In total 304 buildings 12 428 cars and 7 533 intermodal containers were damaged 39 Beyond insurance the cost to businesses of the break in the supply chain caused by the explosions was estimated at 9 billion making it the third most expensive supply chain disruption of 2015 40 Apartment blocks 2 km 1 2 mi from the site sustained shattered glass loss of roof tiles and damage to ceilings with 17 000 units being affected 31 41 Nearby Donghai Road Station suffered severe damage as a result of the explosions and was closed until 2016 as was the rest of Line 9 of the Tianjin Metro beginning on 13 August 42 A Japanese department store four kilometres away reported damage to walls and ceilings 43 The explosions also affected the National Supercomputing Center of Tianjin several kilometres away knocking out windows and causing some internal ceilings to collapse the center s supercomputer Tianhe 1A itself was not damaged 44 Cause editIt is not known what chemicals were being stored at the site 12 In addition to vast quantities of sodium cyanide and calcium carbide paperwork was discovered showing that 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 500 tonnes of potassium nitrate were at the blast site 15 On 17 August the deputy director of the public security bureau s fire department told CCTV Over 40 kinds of hazardous chemicals were stored on site As far as we know there was ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate According to what we know so far all together there should have been around 3 000 tonnes 45 Ammonium nitrate which is predominantly used as an agricultural fertilizer oxidizing agent in explosive compositions and in manufacturing of other chemicals has been the cause of a number of other fatal industrial explosions A fire department spokesman confirmed that firefighters had used water in combating the initial fire which may have led to water being sprayed on calcium carbide releasing the highly flammable gas acetylene This would have provided the fuel source for reaction with the oxidizer ammonium nitrate thus triggering its detonation more readily 46 Pollution edit At least 700 tonnes of highly toxic sodium cyanide was stored at the site 70 times the legal limit 47 48 49 Sodium cyanide leakage was reported in the sewer 50 51 On 13 August sulphur dioxide carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides all of which are toxic were detected within 500 m 1 600 ft of the origin of the explosion but the levels conformed with the national standards Gases were undetectable 2 km 1 2 mi from the site during initial testing on 14 August 13 When the first rains after the initial explosions arrived on 18 August white chemical foam covered the streets Citizens complained of burning sensations and rashes on sensitive skin regions after coming into contact with rain droplets However meteorologists and health experts sought to reassure the public that the rain was not directly harmful to health whilst the Environment Protection Board advised against exposure to the rain due to traces of cyanide dust reacting with water 52 Thousands of dead sticklebacks washed up on the banks 6 km from the explosion site on 20 August fuelling fears of water contamination Officials downplayed the fears saying that there were not high levels of cyanide in the river and that the fish likely died due to oxygen depletion in the water 53 More precipitation throughout August in the Binhai New Area brought more complaints of skin irritations and burns from volunteers and journalists A bright white foam manifested yet again on the streets in a similar manner to before Deng Xiaowen director of Tianjin s environmental monitoring centre stated that the foam was a normal phenomenon when rain falls and similar things have occurred before 54 Immediate aftermath edit nbsp Two security inspectors wearing dust masks near the barricade tape off the scene source source source source source track track track A news report surveys the aftermath and questions locals On Thursday morning the Chinese leaders ordered officers in the city to make full effort in rescuing the injured and search for those missing Xi Jinping the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Li Keqiang the Premier of the People s Republic of China instructed police to investigate the cause of the incident and punish those responsible for the blast 55 Tianjin officials concerned at the potential public response announced initially that fourteen people had perished in the explosions but later raised the death toll to forty four once the scale of the explosions became clear The South China Morning Post SCMP cited a Tianjin police source that officers had been instructed to remove bodies from the scene to deliberately understate the official death toll which angered the Tianjin government 56 The morning following the explosion military personnel began to arrive in Tianjin to help with the search and recovery efforts Extra equipment such as bulldozers were brought in to help with the clean up operation Over 200 nuclear and biochemical experts including a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency began arriving in Tianjin to assess the health risks from the chemicals being released into the atmosphere Government personnel set up twelve temporary monitoring stations near the blast site with above normal levels of pollutants being detected A nearby drainage outlet was also closed and water quality tested 57 Firefighting was suspended on the afternoon of 13 August due to the uncertainty of the content and quantity of hazardous materials being stored on site A team of over two hundred chemical specialists was deployed to assess the hazardous materials on site and dangers to the environment and to determine the best way to put out the remaining fires and proceed with search and rescue and clean up operations 58 Later that day rescue personnel were dispatched in an attempt to remove the 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide believed to be stored at the site with hydrogen peroxide being prepared to neutralise the chemicals 59 Daily press conferences were organised A press conference organised by local officials held on 14 August came to an abrupt end when a journalist began asking questions as to why such dangerous chemicals were stockpiled so close to housing estates 27 Initially more than three thousand five hundred area residents were staying in temporary shelters 59 but the number surpassed six thousand within three days 60 The government issued an evacuation order over concerns of further explosions not all residents complied 31 On 15 August local authorities ordered the evacuation of residents within a 3 km 1 9 mi radius of the blast site prompted by the threat of toxic substances 61 including sodium cyanide 23 The State Council ordered inspections of all businesses using dangerous chemicals and explosives across the country 12 47 Company ownership editHong Kong media announced that Li Liang the major shareholder of Ruihai Logistics owning 55 was the nephew of former chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and ex party chief of Tianjin Li Ruihuan and that the company may have been named after his brother and Li Liang s father 9 the remaining 45 was owned by Shu Zheng 62 Reports in state media one week after the explosion were contradictory holding that Ruihai was owned via proxies by Yu Xuewei the chairman of Ruihai and a former senior executive at Sinochem and Dong Shexuan who served as the company s vice president and who had been arrested by police by the time of the reports Dong Shexuan is the son of Tianjin port s former police chief Dong Peijun who was a colleague of Wu Changshun the former chief of the public security bureau of Tianjin 63 64 The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection CCDI CPC s anti corruption body charged Wu Changshun with bribery in 2014 Dong Peijun was also under investigation for corruption but died that year 64 Investigation editAfter the explosions the CCDI placed Yang Dongliang Director of the State Administration of Work Safety and China s highest work safety official under investigation on 18 August 2015 Yang had previously served as Tianjin s vice mayor for 11 years In 2012 Yang Dongliang had issued an order to loosen rules for the handling of hazardous substances which may have enabled Ruihai to store toxic chemicals such as sodium cyanide 64 On 27 August Xinhua reported that police had arrested twelve people with suspected connections to the explosions including Ruihai Logistics chairman vice chairman and at least three other managers with the other seven people unnamed 65 On 5 February 2016 the Chinese government issued the investigation report of the explosions The report concluded the fire started in a container through auto ignition of nitrocellulose due to vaporization of the wetting agent during hot weather 1 On 8 November 2016 various courts in China handed jail sentences to 49 government officials and warehouse executives and staff for their roles in circumventing the safety rules that led to the disaster Yu Xuewei the Chairman of Ruihai Logistics was sentenced to death with a two year reprieve 66 Response editReactions edit Immediately following the blasts the company website was taken down fuelling suspicions that an attempt was being made to shield owners with powerful political connections 9 62 67 For several days local residents seeking compensation for their homes protested in front of the venue of the daily press conference They were joined by distraught families of missing firefighters and confronted police angrily 41 47 49 The Chinese public security minister threatened severe punishment for those found to be responsible for the explosions However the authorities did not release any significant information for several days about the chemicals and circumstances causing public anger to mount during this time 68 69 Marking an official change of tack that suggested top level endorsement 56 the official People s Daily joined in to criticise local officials lack of candour and their use of bureaucratic jargon 41 69 In addition the Global Times remarked on the inadequacy of emergency response and the reluctance of high ranking officials to answer the public s questions or address their concerns until four days after the blasts 41 The People s Daily acknowledged that public scepticism of the reported death toll was fuelling rampant rumours there was disquiet over the emergency assistance provided and the way the aftermath was being handled 70 71 Attempting to defuse widespread anger at the lack of official transparency mouthpieces of the ruling party declared that investigations would be thorough and transparent 72 Former deputy mayor Yang Dongliang was put under investigation for corruption mayor Huang Xingguo proclaimed his unshirkable responsibility for this accident 69 73 Authorities released information about the ownership of Ruihai as well as a confession by one beneficial owner for the proxy shareholdings 69 clarification needed Meanwhile Greenpeace Asia alleged that two Sinochem subsidiaries Sinochem Tianjin Binhai Logistics Company with a 130 000 square metre 1 400 000 sq ft site and Tianjin Port Sinochem Hazardous Goods Logistics Company Ltd had warehouses in the vicinity in close proximity to a primary and a nursery school meaning that both were in similar breach of laws 73 Observers stated that top officials always attempt to show such disasters as isolated instances have never accepted political accountability nor addressed the underlying governance issues and have always heavily censored any criticism of the central government 68 69 Willy Lam professor at CUHK and senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation noted the highly unusual period of four days it took for Li Keqiang to make an official visit suggesting that the lack of a top ranking visitor to a major disaster site within forty eight hours despite the proximity to Beijing reflected division among the leadership on who should be the fall guy 12 47 68 Media coverage edit News outlets edit Initially Tianjin authorities banned editors and reporters from sharing information about the disaster on Weibo and WeChat and websites were ordered to follow state media 74 The Tianjin internet police warned social media users to use only official casualty figures 75 Tianjin Television had reported the explosion on their early morning news at 7 00 am 76 77 but citizens complained that the station had not reported live nor updated on the event instead showing soap operas eight hours later 78 79 80 Social media edit A great deal of specific information on the event including the majority of early stage video was first released over social media sites and in particular microblogging platforms like Weibo Major media has drawn heavily from social media sources greatly widening the audience The Economist noted Social media fills in the blanks left by official narratives of the Tianjin disaster The most remarkable feature of the aftermath of the explosions in Tianjin in Northern China has been the extraordinary contrast between the official reaction to the crisis which has been profoundly flawed and the online reaction which has entirely dominated the agenda 81 Censorship and criticism edit Professional and social media reports were censored by Chinese authorities 82 The censorship rate increased tenfold on the social media site Weibo 83 with users reporting the deletion of their posts regarding the blasts with Tianjin and explosion being the most censored words 78 79 84 85 An article by Caijing which carried an interview with a firefighter who said that no one on the front line had been informed of the dangerous chemicals on site that would react exothermically when mixed with water was deleted after it had been reposted 10 000 times many other posts mentioning the existence of deadly sodium cyanide were also expunged 84 The Cyberspace Administration of China banned all journalists from posting to social media and insisted on strict adherence to Xinhua s editorial line On 15 August it announced that it had shut down 18 websites and suspended 32 more for spreading false information 86 87 88 89 90 More than 360 Weibo and public WeChat accounts which had allegedly been spreading such false rumors have been punished according to laws Of these accounts over 160 were shut down permanently 91 Press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders RSF accused the Chinese state media of playing up the heroic efforts of rescue workers and firefighters while downplaying the causes of the explosions and the number of casualties RSF said that censorship by the Chinese authorities showed a flagrant indifference to the public s legitimate concerns 86 A CNN correspondent was interrupted by bystanders and forced to leave during a live report outside TEDA Hospital 78 92 A journalist from the Beijing News reported that he and two other reporters were chased by police caught searched and made to delete photographs from their cameras and computers 93 Clean up and redress edit nbsp The entrance to Haigang Park built on the site of the original explosion in 2021Tianjin officials announced that as at the deadline on 3 September 2015 more than 9 000 households out of some 17 000 affected by the explosions had signed agreements to settle their damages claims It was reported that some had chosen to sell their damaged apartments to private developers who offered them around 130 of the original purchase price while others accepted an offer from the local government promising to fix the damaged apartments The local government offered an additional of 20 000 renminbi 3 100 to those who agreed to settle their claims by the deadline The New York Times journalists however reported that some owners had faced heavy pressure from government officials to settle similarly owners who were employees in state owned enterprises were under threat of dismissal from their bosses for not settling 94 95 On 10 September 2015 China Daily reported that families of the firefighters killed in the explosions would each receive compensation of 2 3 million yuan US 360 669 citing a report in Beijing News It was reported that a monument would be built on the site and that the government planned to compensate residents whose houses were damaged by repurchasing them at 130 of their purchase price 96 Less than a month after the disaster the Tianjin government announced a proposal to turn the site into an ecological park repurposing the explosion crater as a lake and promising a memorial to the victims to be built on site The proposal was heavily criticized on Chinese social media which derided the rushed announcement as an attempt to erase the damage and avoid accountability 97 The resulting Haigang Park zh opened in early 2017 was further criticized for being an extremely rushed and sloppy design Both the crater lake and the proposed memorial were ultimately discarded as a result there is currently no permanent memorial to the disaster citation needed See also edit nbsp China portal2023 Yinchuan gas explosion 2020 Beirut explosion 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion 2015 Dongying explosion 2014 Shanghai stampede 2014 Kunshan explosion 1988 PEPCON disaster Largest artificial non nuclear explosions List of accidents and disasters by death toll List of explosionsReferences edit a b Tianjin blast probe suggests action against 123 people Xinhua News Agency 5 February 2016 Archived from the original on 8 February 2016 Retrieved 5 February 2016 a b Tianjin explosion China sets final death toll at 173 ending search for survivors The Guardian Associated Press 12 September 2015 Archived from the original on 1 December 2016 Retrieved 14 September 2015 Tianjin explosion video captures fear of eyewitnesses retrieved 17 May 2022 via BBC News a b Huang Ping Zhang Jingyuan 2015 Facts related to August 12 2015 explosion accident in Tianjin China Process Safety Progress 34 4 313 314 doi 10 1002 prs 11789 S2CID 108813335 Torok Zoltan Ozunu Alexandru 2015 Hazardous properties of ammonium nitrate and modeling of explosions using TNT equivalency Environmental Engineering and Management Journal 14 11 2671 2678 doi 10 30638 eemj 2015 284 Jean Francois Tremblay 8 February 2016 Chinese Investigators Identify Cause of Tianjin Explosion Chemical amp Engineering News Archived from the original on 10 February 2016 Retrieved 12 February 2016 The immediate cause of the accident was the spontaneous ignition of overly dry nitrocellulose stored in a container that overheated according to the report issued on Feb 5 Archived copy PDF Archived PDF from the original on 5 February 2016 Retrieved 12 November 2018 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link 天津爆炸企业 瑞海物流 是个什么公司 The Beijing News in Chinese 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 a b c d e f 大爆炸倉庫違規經營 老闆是李瑞環姪 蘋果日報 要聞港聞 20150815 Apple Daily in Chinese 15 August 2015 Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 关于瑞海 天津东疆保税港区瑞海国际物流有限公司 in Chinese Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 a b 天津爆炸 消防员未被告知不能用水灭火 Southern Weekly 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 a b c d Tianjin blasts Another of China s profound lessons CNN 17 August 2015 Archived from the original on 20 August 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2015 a b Shanglin Luan 14 August 2015 Chemicals at blasted warehouse not yet determined authorities in Chinese Xinhua News Agency Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 Doubts surround Tianjin logistics company after massive blasts Xinhua News Agency 18 August 2015 Archived from the original on 18 August 2015 Retrieved 18 August 2015 a b c Ryan Fergus 18 August 2015 Tianjin explosions warehouse handled toxic chemicals without licence reports The Guardian Archived from the original on 18 August 2015 Retrieved 18 August 2015 China explosions Tianjin blasts on seismic scale BBC News 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 27 September 2017 Retrieved 5 January 2017 China explosions Tianjin blasts on seismic scale BBC News 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 11 March 2016 Retrieved 18 March 2016 Death toll in China s Tianjin explosion rises to 50 Reports CNBC 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 27 August 2016 Retrieved 19 August 2016 China explosions What we know about what happened in Tianjin BBC News BBC 17 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2016 Retrieved 19 August 2016 Huge explosion in Chinese port city of Tianjin The Guardian 12 August 2015 Archived from the original on 8 October 2015 Retrieved 12 August 2015 Winds change at Tianjin blast site chemicals spread eCNA Reuters and Agence France Presse 15 August 2015 Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 15 August 2015 Huey Fern Tay 15 August 2015 China explosions New blasts hampering search in Tianjin as residents evacuated over chemical fears Australian Broadcasting Corporation Reuters Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 15 August 2015 a b Julia Glum 15 August 2015 Tianjin A Ghost Town After Explosions Evacuations Amid Concern Over Chemicals in Air International Business Times Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 15 August 2015 Tianjin explosions visible from space The Guardian 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 155位 8 12 事故遇难者身份公开 in Chinese Sohu 2 September 2015 Archived from the original on 4 September 2015 Retrieved 2 September 2015 a b 天津滨海新区爆炸事发地居民 希望政府回购房屋 guancha cn Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 a b Death Toll in Chinese Fire Rises Along With Anger at Apparent Safety Lapses The New York Times 14 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 Update 10 Huge blasts at Chinese port kill 50 injure more than 700 Reuters 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 155位 8 12 事故遇难者身份公开 Sohu News in Chinese 2 September 2015 Archived from the original on 4 September 2015 Retrieved 2 September 2015 天津滨海爆炸事故遇难人数升至159人 in Chinese Sina Corp 2 September 2015 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 2 September 2015 a b c Ryan Fergus Phillips Tom 14 August 2015 China blasts thousands seek refuge as Tianjin explosions death toll reaches 55 The Guardian Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 Makinen Julie 15 August 2015 Amid new explosions and fires at site of Chinese blasts there is confusion over evacuation order Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 China Tianjin port explosion death toll rises to 121 The Indian Express 22 August 2015 Archived from the original on 25 August 2015 Retrieved 25 August 2015 a b Phipps Claire Weaver Matthew 13 August 2015 China blasts fireball from Tianjin explosions injures hundreds and kills at least 44 latest updates The Guardian Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 China explosion Drone footage shows Tianjin blast site BBC News 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 At least 17 dead as huge warehouse blasts hit Chinese port 12 August 2015 Large Explosion Burns 8 000 Cars in China Auto Guide 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 Tianjin explosion destroys over 8 000 new cars in China Digital Trends 14 August 2015 Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2015 107页调查报告详解天津港爆炸事故真相 搜狐 mt sohu com Archived from the original on 8 April 2016 Retrieved 28 March 2016 EventWatch 2015 Annual Report Resilinc Resilinc Archived from the original on 3 April 2016 Retrieved 4 May 2016 a b c d China s Response to the Tianjin Explosions The Atlantic 17 August 2015 Archived from the original on 17 August 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2015 网易 津滨轻轨地铁9号线受损严重 展开抢修 尽早恢复运营 in Chinese Archived from the original on 26 June 2019 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Japan vehicles factories damaged in Tianjin blasts The Yomiuri Shimbun Japan 14 August 2015 archived from the original on 13 September 2015 retrieved 15 August 2015 Supercomputer Tianhe 1A shut down due to Tianjin blast Xinhua News Agency 12 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 12 August 2015 Vivienne Zeng 18 August 2015 3 000 tonnes of dangerous chemicals were stored at Tianjin explosion site say police Hong Kong Free Press Archived from the original on 2 October 2015 Retrieved 18 August 2015 Searching Questions Asked in the Aftermath of the Tianjin Blasts Time 14 August 2015 Archived from the original on 17 August 2015 Retrieved 18 August 2015 a b c d Tianjin explosions sodium cyanide on site may have been 70 times allowed amount The Guardian 16 August 2015 Archived from the original on 26 October 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 爆炸现场下午将降雨 700吨氰化纳遇水生剧毒 in Chinese Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 a b Tianjin Death Toll Climbs as Crews Scramble to Clear Site of Chemicals NBC News 16 August 2015 Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 爆炸物主要为硝酸类化学品 下水沟里检出氰化钠 in Chinese Sina Corp Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 ck 13465 媒体 天津爆炸现场下水沟检出氰化钠 说明已经泄露 in Chinese Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Varghese Johnlee 18 August 2015 Tianjin Aftermath Chemical Rain Leaves Streets Foaming Residents Complain about Rashes The International Business Times Archived from the original on 24 August 2015 Retrieved 24 August 2015 Phillips Tom 20 August 2015 Chinese authorities investigate mass fish death near Tianjin explosion site The Guardian Archived from the original on 24 August 2015 Retrieved 24 August 2015 Li Jing Huang Keira Lu Jun Mai 26 August 2015 Mystery white foam and burns reported as rain falls at Tianjin blast site sparking fears of toxic reactions South China Morning Post Archived from the original on 21 August 2015 Retrieved 26 August 2015 CNN local Chinese media struggle to report on Tianjin explosion 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 a b Grenfell Oscar 29 August 2015 Chinese officials company executives detained over Tianjin explosion World Socialist Web Site Archived from the original on 14 September 2015 Retrieved 12 September 2015 Tianjin detects harmful air pollutants Beijing stays clear China Daily 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 Timeline of Tianjin explosions Shanghai Daily 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 a b China explosions Chemical specialists sent to Tianjin BBC News 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 China explosions More than 6 000 displaced in temporary shelters after Tianjin blasts ABC News 15 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 China Tianjin blasts Evacuation of residents ordered BBC News 14 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 a b What Tianjin disaster tells us about HK s future EJ Insight 20 August 2015 Archived from the original on 19 September 2015 Retrieved 12 September 2015 China explosions Firm owners used connections to get licences BBC News 19 August 2015 Archived from the original on 1 December 2017 Retrieved 21 June 2018 a b c Poisonous connections The Economist 22 August 2015 Archived from the original on 1 August 2017 Retrieved 23 August 2017 Chinese police arrest 12 in Tianjin blast probe Report CNBC 26 August 2015 Archived from the original on 27 August 2015 Retrieved 27 August 2015 China Jails 49 Over Deadly Tianjin Warehouse Explosions NPR 9 November 2016 Archived from the original on 9 November 2016 Retrieved 9 November 2016 Zheping Haung 13 August 2015 Pick your poison The firm behind huge explosions in Tianjin handles all manner of hazardous chemicals Quartz Archived from the original on 14 September 2015 Retrieved 15 September 2015 a b c Haas Benjamin 18 August 2015 China s disaster playbook falls short in Tianjin blasts Hong Kong Free Press Archived from the original on 29 October 2016 Retrieved 19 August 2015 a b c d e Levin Dan 19 August 2015 Chinese Report Details Role of Political Connections in Tianjin Blasts The New York Times Archived from the original on 15 December 2016 Retrieved 1 March 2017 Top executives detained as China investigates Tianjin warehouse blasts CNN 18 August 2015 Archived from the original on 21 August 2015 Retrieved 18 August 2015 Macauley Richard 19 August 2015 Chinese state media s surprising suggestion for Tianjin blasts actually tell people what s happening Quartz Archived from the original on 22 August 2015 Retrieved 25 August 2015 Phillips Tom 17 August 2015 Tianjin blasts Communist party insists there will be no cover up as anger grows The Guardian Archived from the original on 19 May 2017 Retrieved 16 December 2016 a b Phillips Tom 19 August 2015 Tianjin blast more warehouses accused of violating rules on toxic materials The Guardian Archived from the original on 24 February 2017 Retrieved 16 December 2016 Wertime David 13 August 2015 Four Questions Chinese People Want Answered After Deadly Tianjin Blast Foreign Policy Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 Tianjin China explosions 50 dead more than 700 injured Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 14 August 2015 Retrieved 14 August 2015 The Tianjin Internet Police on their official microblog warned social media users to stick to official reports about the number of dead and injured saying that there would be zero tolerance for creating rumours 津晨播报 20150813 津晨播报 视频 央视网 CNTV 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 23 February 2016 Retrieved 16 August 2015 媒体 天津大爆炸 别再让谣言 爆炸 Chinese iFeng 14 August 2015 Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 15 August 2015 a b c Cheung Eric 13 August 2015 CNN local Chinese media struggle to report on Tianjin explosion Hong Kong Free Press Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 a b China silences netizens critical of disgraceful blast coverage BBC News 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 Hanrahan Mark 13 August 2015 Tianjin Explosions National Disasters In China Prompt Wave of Media Censorship International Business Times Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 Accountability in China A blast in Tianjin sets off an explosion online Economist 18 August 2015 Archived from the original on 19 August 2015 Retrieved 20 August 2015 Media Directives on Tianjin Port Explosions China Digital Times 15 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 China s Censors Scramble to Contain Online Fallout After Tianjin Blast The Wall Street Journal 14 August 2015 Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 a b Custer C 13 August 2015 Chinese authorities clamp down on Tianjin explosion tweets Tech in Asia Archived from the original on 6 September 2015 Bodeen Christopher 13 August 2015 Death toll rises to 50 in massive blasts at Chinese port Associated Press Archived from the original on 15 August 2015 a b AUTHORITIES SUPPRESS RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT TIANJIN EXPLOSIONS Reports Without Borders 18 August 2015 Archived from the original on 21 August 2015 Retrieved 23 August 2015 China Shutters 50 Websites For Inciting Panic Over the Tianjin Disaster Time 17 August 2015 Archived from the original on 17 August 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2015 方圆一公里无生命迹象 谣言 in Chinese Sohu Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 18 March 2016 网信办查处50家涉天津爆炸谣言网站 in Chinese Sina Corp Archived from the original on 26 March 2016 Retrieved 18 March 2016 Websites punished for spreading rumors about Tianjin blasts I Cross China 16 August 2015 Archived from the original on 17 August 2015 Retrieved 16 August 2015 传播涉天津港爆炸事故谣言 逾300微博微信号被查处 Chinese iFeng Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 18 March 2016 Emotions run high at Chinese hospital after blasts CNN 13 August 2015 Archived from the original on 13 August 2015 Retrieved 13 August 2015 Zeng Vivienne 18 August 2015 Journalist s diary highlights difficulties in reporting Tianjin blasts Hong Kong Free Press Archived from the original on 29 October 2016 Retrieved 18 August 2015 Tianjin Homeowners Tell of Compensation Pressure China Digital Times 11 September 2015 Archived from the original on 12 September 2015 Retrieved 12 September 2015 Hernandez Javier C 4 September 2015 Weeks After Tianjin Blasts Many Residents Await Compensation for Damaged Homes The New York Times Archived from the original on 13 January 2018 Retrieved 16 September 2015 Tianjin announces compensations for martyred firefighters families China Daily Archived from the original on 5 October 2015 Retrieved 15 October 2015 Tianjin blasts plans to turn site into eco park mocked on Chinese social media The Guardian 6 September 2015 Retrieved 3 December 2022 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2015 Tianjin explosion Tianjin Explosion video recorded by Daniel van Duren from a high rise building in the vicinity Extended panoramic view of Tianjin blast site drone video New China TV 14 August 2015 Drone video of Tianjin explosion aftermath New China 14 August 2015 Close footage of the second explosion footage ends when the camera and the surrounding area are destroyed by the shockwave Ruihai Logistics official site in Chinese archived from the original on 12 August 2015 Casualties Increasing in Huge Explosion in China News 365 Today 13 August 2015 Panoramic view of Ruihai Logistics QQ Maps Street View archived from the original on 31 March 2015 retrieved 18 March 2016 天津港 8 12 瑞海公司危险品仓库 特别重大火灾爆炸事故调查报告 State Administration of Work Safety report China Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2015 Tianjin explosions amp oldid 1199182878, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.