Warehouse explosions rock Chinese port city Tianjin
Explosions at a warehouse used to store “dangerous and chemical goods” have left at least 44 people dead and 500 injured in the Chinese city port of Tianjin. The explosions took place last night (12 August) at a warehouse operated by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd (also known as Ruihai Logistics). The first explosion occurred at 23:30 local time, followed by a bigger blast 30 seconds later.
Established in 2011, Ruihai Logistics is approved for handling hazardous materials and is reported to account for about 70% of the hazardous goods shipments in Tianjin. The company handles close to one million tonnes of cargo a year.
The company has 70 employees and an annual revenue of 30 million yuan ($4.7m).
Ruihai Logistics is currently uncontactable and its website is down. Local sources report that the authorities ran an emergency drill at Ruihai Logistics’ warehouse in 2014 to check that its procedures for handling highly toxic and dangerous goods were in order. Sources also claim that a government inspection between November and December 2013 found that five of the more than 4,300 containers on site were improperly encased.
The People’s Daily has reported that a company representative has been detained for questioning.
