Evacuations ordered after new blasts at Tianjin chemical site in China

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.com/en/evacuations-ordered-after-new-blasts-at-tianjin-chemical-site-in-china/a-18650857

Chinese authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents near the site of two huge explosions in the port of Tianjin. There are fears the area could be contaminated by toxic chemicals.

Evacuations ordered after new blasts at Tianjin chemical site in China
15.08.2015

Flames could be seen burning at the blast site in Tianjin's north on Saturday, as police ordered people within a 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) radius to leave their homes. The official Xinhua news agency reported that the evacuation was carried out after large amounts of highly poisonous sodium cyanide were identified nearby.

More than 85 people were killed after a giant explosion at a chemical storage facility on Wednesday sparked a blaze that has been burning for days. A series of new blasts and fires broke out on Saturday. About 6,300 people in the city of 15 million have been displaced, with more than 700 injured and an unknown number of firefighters still missing.

Police and security staff were manning checkpoints leading to the blast site on Saturday, while more than 200 nuclear and biochemical experts from the military were sent in.

Tianjin work safety official Gao Huaiyou told a news conference that authorities were still working to identify all the chemicals that were being kept at the storage facility. He also said personnel from sodium cyanide producers had been called in "because they are experts on the chemical's nature and the ways to deal with it."

[Art_from_Ark]

1. I'm watching a program about the explosion on Japanese TV right now

The damage is unbelievable. Windows were blown out of apartments and other buildings more than 3 miles from the explosion. The smell of cyanide chemicals is wafting through the air, and the area within the 3-mile radius is a virtual ghost town. There are still 70 people unaccounted for, 64 of whom are firefighters.