Taijian, China – 11.30pm local time, two explosions went off just 30 seconds apart killing atleast 44 people, including 12 firefighters, reported by China’s official Xinhua news.
Firefighters arrive at Ruihai Logistics warehouse in the Tianjin Container Port to put down a fire before the first explosion occurred. The warehouse reportedly stores “dangerous and chemical goods”.
The blast was so strong that people in the area mentioned that it could be felt a mile away. People in the area were evacuated to stay atleast 10km for the scene.
The first blast registered at a 2.3 magnitude quake and the second explosion registered a 2.9 magnitude.
Equivalent to 3 tons of TNT, and about 21 tons of TNT for the second blast .
Here’s a video shot by a witness in the vicinity:
Eventhough he was a good 2.7km away from the site, the blasts were strong that it shook the camera.
Cause of the fire is not yet known.