Update | ‘There’ll be no cover-up over Tianjin blasts’, Communist Party reassures as death toll rises to 114

The Communist Party’s official newspaper in China has sought to reassure the public that there will be no cover-up over the causes of the massive explosions at a dangerous goods warehouse in Tianjin as the number of people known to have died in the disaster rose to 114.

People's Daily said in an editorial there was no doubt that the central government would carry out a thorough investigation into the blasts last Wednesday and that anybody guilty of wrongdoing would be held to account.

The article was published amid intense speculation about the owners of the warehouse, Ruihai International Logistics, and whether any government officials were linked to the firm.

It was groundless for the public to assume there would be a cover-up in the investigation as the Communist Party has taken down several “tigers”, senior officials guilty of corruption, the newspaper said.

“[The central government] has pursued Zhou Yongkang, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong and Ling Jihua. Why should [the government] cover up anything over a safety accident? It is groundless to doubt that any officials would be protected.” the article said, naming several senior officials detained for graft.