UPDATE: Aug. 12, 2015, 4:47 PM EDT
BEIJING (AP) — Huge explosions at a container port in the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin have injured at least 300 people, state media outlets and officials said Thursday.
The state-run Beijing News said on its website that between 300 and 400 people had been admitted to hospitals in the city, east of Beijing. It says the explosions shattered windows and knocked off doors of buildings in the area.
Police in Tianjin said an initial blast took place late Wednesday night in shipping containers at a warehouse for hazardous materials owned by a logistics company. The official Xinhua News agency said an initial explosion triggered other blasts at nearby businesses. The National Earthquake Bureau reported two major blasts before midnight, the first with an equivalent of 3 tons of TNT, and the second with the equivalent of 21 tons.
#Breaking: Massive explosion rocks N China’s #Tianjin, cause & casualties unclear yet (web sources) @BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/GOG8Q7OWew
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 12, 2015
Photos circulating online show a gigantic fireball high in the sky, with a mushroom-cloud.
WATCH: CCTV captures moments before blast, via China’s state news service
Video: CCTV captures moment #blast occurred in Chinese city of #Tianjin
https://t.co/gmQHGtUPe4
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 12, 2015
State broadcaster CCTV says six battalions of firefighters had brought the ensuing fire under control, although it was still burning. It says the firefighters were combing the neighborhood for possible injured residents.
Watch video of the explosion below, via YouTube user kouzou Fan (warning: graphic content)
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