Two massive explosions in the port of Tianjin ,
northern China
Much of what took place, or is still happening now, is unclear - but
here is what we do know.
How did the blasts happen?
They took place at a warehouse at the port which contained hazardous and
flammable chemicals, including calcium carbide, sodium cyanide, potassium
nitrate, ammonium nitrate and sodium nitrate.
Officials insist it is not yet clear what triggered the blasts and say
they are still investigating. Chinese media said that at least one member of
staff from Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics, which owns
the warehouse, has been arrested.
Before the explosions, several firefighters were already at the scene
trying to control a blaze. There have been suggestions that water sprayed on
some of the chemicals could have led to the blasts.
Calcium carbide, known to be at the site, reacts with water to create
the highly explosive acetylene.
Chemical experts suggest an acetylene blast could then have detonated
the other chemicals for a much larger blast.
How big were the explosions?
The China Earthquake Networks Centre said the initial explosion, in a
city with a population of around 15 million, had a power equivalent to three
tonnes of TNT detonating, while the second was the equivalent of 21 tonnes.
The second was so big that satellites orbiting Earth picked it up as
well.
How bad is the devastation?
The explosion destroyed a significant amount of goods stored at and
around the port, in the Binhai New District.
Large shipping containers were tossed into the air like matchsticks and
were crumpled by the blasts.
A logistics park containing several thousand cars was incinerated by the
fireball. Renault says some 1,500 of its cars were lost, while Hyundai said it
had around 4,000 cars on the site - although it has not yet assessed the level
of damage.
The blast wave rippled out several kilometres from the port into
residential areas.
The impact rocked entire buildings, shattered windows and tore doors off
their hinges.
More than 720 people were taken to hospital, of whom nearly 60 are
either critically or seriously injured. Reuters reports that several thousand
people living near the port have had to leave their homes, and are now staying
in local schools.
How are the blasts being dealt
with?
More than 1,000 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to contain the
fires. On Monday, authorities said they were putting out one last area that was
still burning, and the last of the toxic chemicals would be neutralised and
disposed of by the end of the day.
More than 200 chemical and biological experts from the military were on
site earlier.
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have vowed to hold a
thorough investigation and ensure "open and transparent information
disclosure to the public".
Is it safe?
About 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide was present at the site. It is
soluble in water and, when dissolved or burned, it releases the highly
poisonous gas hydrogen cyanide.
Authorities on Monday confirmed that three waste water discharge
monitoring stations within the evacuated area saw excessive levels of cyanide,
with one station recording a level 27.4 times the normal limit, reported People's Daily.
But authorities have insisted that the pollutants are contained and not
at risk of spreading beyond the evacuated area.
What impact will this have on Tianjin
The port remains partially open as the explosion was contained in one
section.
But authorities have imposed stringent checks and movement in and out of
the port has slowed down, which is likely to affect some industries, the
Mysteel.com news portal reported.
Mining giant BHP Billiton saw some disruption to its port operations and
shipments.
On Monday, carmaker Toyota said it was
closing production lines at its factories near Tianjin
