Huge Explosion Rocks Tianjin, China

[LogansWalk]

From the video I just saw, this is horrible:

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A giant explosion rocked the Chinese city of Tianjin, creating a huge mushroom cloud and causing a quake that could be felt up to 6 miles away, People's Daily China reported. The explosion was reportedly caused by explosive material in a container at a terminal in Binhai Dist, according to People's Daily. The Hong Kong-based CCTV has reported the explosion occurred at a hazardous goods depot. Chinese social media site SinaWeibo.com has posted apparent photos of the aftermath.

The explosion appears to have destroyed large parts of the city, NBC affiliate KSNV News reported. The number of casualties and injuries is unknown, but a producer for CCTV America says he witnessed some casualties on video. An apparent video shows the explosion was so powerful, it knocked over a camera a good distance away.






A huge explosion just rocked a city in China and no one knows where it came from - Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/a-huge-explosion-just-rocked-a-city-in-china-and-no-one-knows-where-it-came-from-2015-8)

[Harold Mansfield]

Just saw this. Holly Hell! Looks like someone dropped a 500 lb bomb on a village. Actually, it's looks far larger than that.
I wonder if the Chinese will actually tell us what it was or put out a bunk statement.

I'm not buying the shipping container story already.

[Fulcrum]

I heard it was in a dangerous goods warehouse in a shipping container facility. Truth or not, I don't know but I hope all injured come out all right.

[jamesray50]

I read about it on Facebook, haven't watched the news yet. So sad.

[David Hunter]

Fricken crazy!

You would think someone just started a war.

[M.Ehrmantraut]

I had JUST gotten home from being on vacation and a friend called telling me about this. After watching the news clips and video, I can't imagine being close to those explosions. This is just terrible and I feel for the people of Tianjin.


The explosions originated at a warehouse site owned by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co., a company that stores and transports dangerous chemicals. Company executives have been taken into custody, state media said.

The blasts' destructive force tore into Tianjin, smashing buildings and mangling shipping containers.

The first explosion was huge, and the second was even more powerful -- the equivalent of 21 metric tons of TNT or a magnitude-2.9 earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

..."We are concerned that certain chemicals will continue to pose a risk to the residents of Tianjin," the statement said.

"According to the Tianjin Tanggu Environmental Monitoring Station, hazardous chemicals stored by the company concerned include sodium cyanide (NaCN), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and calcium carbide (CaC2), all of which pose direct threats to human health on contact. NaCN in particular is highly toxic. Ca(C2) and TDI react violently with water and reactive chemicals, with risk of explosion. This will present a challenge for firefighting and, with rain forecast for tomorrow, is a major hazard," Greenpeace said.


China explosion leaves dozens dead at busy port - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/asia/china-tianjin-explosions/)