Update | Firefighters briefly pulled out of site of Tianjin warehouse blasts after 12 confirmed killed tackling blaze

Firefighting efforts at the site of the Tianjin warehouse explosions were suspended briefly on Thursday morning after 12 firefighters were confirmed to have died tackling the blaze, state media reported.

About 1,500 paramilitary police officers, including members of its chemical brigade,  joined relief and rescue efforts on Thursday afternoon, state media reported. 

Emergency workers were pulled out at about 10 am due to the lack of information about what dangerous goods were inside the warehouse and how much of the material was stored, according to statement on the Tianjin government’s social media account.

Further checks were carried out and firefighters returned later on Thursday.

Thirty-six firefighters are missing, according to an earlier report from The Beijing News.

The city’s fire brigade said its personnel were first sent to the scene of the blasts at about 10.50pm on Wednesday night, 40 minutes before the first large explosion occurred.