Photo taken on Aug. 13, 2015 shows burnt vehicles near the core area of the explosion site in Tianjin, north China. The death toll from the warehouse explosions in Tianjin city rose to 50 Thursday evening while 701 others were admitted to hospitals, rescue headquarters said. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)
TIANJIN, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from massive warehouse explosions in north China's Tianjin city rose to 50 Thursday evening, 17 of whom were firemen, local authorities said.
Earlier reports said 12 were firemen.
The Tianjin Port Group Co. said dozens of its employees were unaccounted for and a search operation is under way.
Meanwhile, 701 others were admitted to hospitals, and of them, more than 70 are in critical condition, the city's publicity department said.
Related:
Military sends chemical specialists to Tianjin blast site
TIANJIN, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- A team of 217 military specialists in nuclear and biochemical materials has arrived in the northern city of Tianjin following explosions at a warehouse on Wednesday.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Beijing Military Area Command team, led by Dep. Gen. Chief of Staff Wang Zhengrong, left Beijing at noon on Thursday. Full story
Air quality normal after Tianjin blasts: authorities
TIANJIN, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Toxic fumes detected in the air after blasts ripped through the Tianjin Binhai New Area are within national standards, Wen Wurui, head of the city's environmental bureau said.
At 4 p.m., police detected high densities of toxic gases, including sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, within 500 meters of the fire, but they were not detected 2 km from the fire, the headquarters said. Full story
China Headlines: Over 700 casualties in Tianjin explosions
TIANJIN, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Blasts that tore through a warehouse in Tianjin's port area in north China on Wednesday night have killed at least 50 people, 12 of whom were firemen. Another 701 people are still in hospital, many gravely ill.
Emergency personnel are continuing the search for the missing firefighters, but this is already one of the biggest losses of firemen in the line of duty for decades. Of the hundreds injured, most suffering from burns or broken bones, 71 are critically ill. Full story
More Photos>>Tianjin gov't hold press conference on explosion
More Photos>>State Grid assists with rescue opention in Tianjin
