China’s leadership ‘infuriated by Tianjin government’s attempts to underplay death toll of blasts’

The Communist Party's top leadership was infuriated with the Tianjin government's attempts to underplay the death toll of the twin blasts that rocked the port city more than two weeks ago, and which has now risen to 145, the South China Morning Post has learned.

The revelation came as prosecutors yesterday criminally detained 11 senior officials and port executives for alleged negligence in connection with the disaster.

Hours after the explosions struck a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals on August 12, authorities put the initial death toll at 14, but the figure was quickly raised to 44, as news of the disaster spread and its scale became apparent.

Sources said that less than a week later, the party's propaganda department called a meeting with a handful of selected media to encourage them to look into the company that ran the facility - Ruihai International Logistics.