Sunday, August 16, 2015

China Death Toll Rises After Massive Explosion

The death toll's up to 112 now.

At CBS News, "China warehouse explosion: New blasts and toxic winds and rising death toll," and Euronews, "China: fear and anger in the wake of the Tianjin disaster."

At USA Today, "Death toll rises from China blast amid contamination fears" (warning: autoplay video):
The death toll in China from explosions at a warehouse storing hazardous materials rose to 112 Sunday, as authorities worked to remove chemical contamination.

Some 95 people, including 85 firefighters, remain missing following the blasts Wednesday night in the port city of Tianjin, 75 miles east of Beijing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

State-run news publications The Paper and the Southern Metropolis reported that the warehouse was storing 700 tons of sodium cyanide — 70 times more than it should have been.

Sodium cyanide is a toxic chemical that can form a flammable gas upon contact with water, and several hundred tons would be a clear violation of rules cited by state media that the warehouse could store no more than 10 tons at a time, the Associated Press reported.

China's top prosecuting office announced Sunday that it was setting up a team to investigate possible offenses related to the massive blasts, including dereliction of duty.

Zhi Feng, general manager of the warehouse’s operator, Ruihai International Logistics, has been under police watch while he receives medical treatment to ensure he does not flee during an investigation, state media reported, without giving further details. Zhi was hospitalized after being injured in the disaster.

Meanwhile, a task force has been sent to find and measure the area contaminated by the toxic chemical and prevent its spread in sewage, and hydrogen peroxide has been used to reduce the level of sodium cyanide, Xinhua reported Sunday. No rescuers been made ill by chemical contamination, officials told the news agency. Used commercially for fumigation and extracting gold and silver from rock, exposure to sodium cyanide can be fatal...
Still more at that top link.

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