17 Dead, Hundreds Injured as Blast Erupts in Explosives Shipment in China; More Details Here!

On Wednesday night, at least 17 people were killed and 400 were injured after two huge explosions rocked the port city of Tianjin in China. The said blast were said to be triggered by "flammable goods," according to Reuters.

The firefighters were reportedly among those who perished in the explosions. However, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), at least 9 of those who died were firefighters. Thirty six have been reported missing.

"CCTV said the blasts erupted in a shipment of explosives at around 11:30 p.m. local time (11.30 a.m. EDT), triggering a blast wave that was felt kilometers (miles) away. The second blast came roughly 30 seconds after the first," Reuters noted.

"Video posted on YouTube from what appeared to be an apartment building some distance from the scene showed fire shooting into the night sky from the initial blast when the second, much bigger, explosion rocked the area, sending a huge fireball into the air," the news source added. "Seconds later, shockwaves hit the apartment building, causing panic among the occupants inside."

"The authorities have suspended firefighting efforts at the warehouse due to a lack of clarity about what dangerous goods are inside and the quantity of them," SCMP said.

"Police in Tianjin said an initial blast took place at shipping containers in a warehouse for hazardous materials owned by Ruihai Logistics, a company that says it's properly approved to handle hazardous materials," the publication reported further. "State media said senior management of the company had been detained by authorities."

The said facility is part of an industrial park that had apartment buildings for neighbors.

A Tianjin resident told the publication that she thought the blasts were an earthquake.

"Only once I was outside did I realise it was an explosion. There was the huge fireball in the sky with thick clouds. Everybody could see it," Zhang Siyu said.

Hospitals within the vicinity of the Tianjin harbor were packed with people needing treatment in the wake of the blasts.

"Many were also injured by flying glass, and one CCTV video apparently showed an entire glass door being blown in by the force of the explosion, landing on a man waiting for it to open," The Guardian noted. "Hundreds had sought treatment for injuries, while uninjured citizens lined up to donate blood."

Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey recorded "a series of seismological actions at a station in Beijing." The said station is more than 160 kilometers from the blast.

According to USGS geophysicist John Bellini, detecting seismological activity from surface events like the Tianjin explosion is "rare." The explosions had earned a 2 and 3 rating on the Richter scale. USGS isn't wholly certain that the activity did come from the blasts, though.

China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang have since promised a full investigation of the event, CNN said.

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