10 taken into custody as China launches Tianjin disaster probe

TIANJIN — Thunderstorms yesterday complicated recovery efforts for last week’s massive explosions at a warehouse at China’s Tianjin port that killed at least 114 people, left 57 missing and exposed dangerous chemicals — including some that could become flammable upon contact with water.

Experts have expressed concerns that rain could spread some of the vast quantities of hazardous material at the site, or set off chemical reactions sparking further explosions.

The storms began shortly after residents, firefighters, police, medical staff and officials observed a moment of silence marking the seventh day since the disaster. Sirens wailed and car and boat horns blared while assembled groups bowed in respect for the dead.

At the now-evacuated Seaport City housing complex, 33-year-old Fan Jie joined other residents in lighting candles for first-responders killed in the explosions.

“There were many firefighters who went into the blast and sacrificed themselves,” Fan said. “So we’re here today for them, to give thanks to them and grieve for them.’’

As of yesterday, 50 firefighters were confirmed killed and another 52 were among the 57 missing, marking the disaster as the deadliest ever for Chinese first-responders. About 1,000 firefighters responded to the disaster.

The blasts originated at a warehouse for hazardous material, where 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide — which can form combustible substances upon contact with water — was being stored in amounts that violated safety rules. That has prompted contamination fears and a major cleanup of a 3km radius around the blast site.

Cyanide contamination was found at levels up to 28 times those considered safe at eight of the 29 testing sites within the blast zone, said Bao Jingling, chief engineer of the Tianjin Environmental Bureau. No unsafe levels were found at 14 inspection sites outside the zone, he said.

“If the rain gets heavy, water will have to be drained. It is not good for water to remain in the craters,’’ Mr Bao told a news conference, referring to the massive cavities left by the explosions.

Officials have said there have been no substantial leaks of the toxic sodium cyanide. They say they have sealed all waterways leading into the sea from the blast site, and built retaining walls to prevent any runoff. Sodium cyanide can form a flammable gas upon contact with water, and several hundred tonnes would be a clear violation of rules cited by state media that the warehouse could store no more than 10 tonnes at a time.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ordered authorities at all levels to check whether companies that produce and store hazardous materials comply with safety regulations, including if they are a safe distance from residential areas and do not exceed storage limits.

China’s Cabinet, the State Council, said an investigation team headed by Executive Vice-Minister of Public Security Yang Huanning has launched an investigation into the explosion. Media reports say 10 people have been taken into custody, including top officials of the warehouse’s management company.

The Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog also said yesterday that Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, is being investigated.

More than 40 different types of hazardous chemicals were being stored at the site, with a total volume of about 3,000 tonnes, deputy national fire chief Niu Hueguang was quoted as saying on the China Fire Services’ official website. That included 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, sometimes used in explosives, and about 500 tonnes of potassium nitrate, often used in rocket fuel and fireworks.

The Tianjin blasts are among the deadliest industrial accidents in China in recent years. In June 2013, a fire at a poultry plant in the northeastern province of Jilin killed 121 people. In August 2014, a dust explosion at a metal plant in the eastern province of Jiangsu left 97 people dead. AGENCIES