https://www.scmp.com/rss/320326/feed Two blasts ripped through the industrial Binhai New Area in the port city of Tianjin, China, late on August 12, killing 173 people - including firefighters - and sending shockwaves as far as 20 kilometres away. Hundreds were reported injured and swathes of buildings, apartments, vehicles and other infrastructure were burned or destroyed. State media said a shipment of explosive materials had ignited at a warehouse run by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics, which handles are... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tianjin, one of China’s four municipalities, is expected to drop out of the country’s top 10 cities in terms of economic size this year for the first time since records began. The municipality’s economic output in the first three quarters of 2020 was 1 trillion yuan (US$151.8 billion), only a third of the size of Shanghai and Beijing, the country’s two largest cities, and below regional economic hubs such as Hangzhou and Nanjing. Chongqing, China’s third largest municipality, reported economic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3111321/which-chinese-city-will-be-biggest-loser-2020-its-not-wuhan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3111321/which-chinese-city-will-be-biggest-loser-2020-its-not-wuhan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Nov 2020 10:02:51 +0000 The lessons of a terrible industrial disaster in China five years ago this month provide food for thought today. No one could have imagined that history would repeat itself on Tuesday in Beirut, and that if heeded those same lessons might have prevented a human catastrophe. In both cases fire in a port warehouse area ignited massive explosions of illegally stored combustible ammonium nitrate, an agricultural chemical, flattening the surrounding area and severely damaging adjacent residential... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3096215/beirut-disaster-another-reminder-dangers-explosive-materials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3096215/beirut-disaster-another-reminder-dangers-explosive-materials?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2020 20:01:31 +0000 China’s former top work-safety official has been jailed for 15 years for corruption a year and a half after he was sacked over a giant industrial explosion that killed 173 people. Yang Dongliang, now 63, was head of the State Administration of Work Safety in August 2015 when a series of mammoth blasts at a dangerous chemicals storage facility rocked the northern port of Tianjin. China’s work safety chief detained for alleged graft in midst of Tianjin blast fallout Yang was quickly removed from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2073003/china-safety-boss-sacked-over-tianjin-blasts-jailed-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2073003/china-safety-boss-sacked-over-tianjin-blasts-jailed-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Feb 2017 07:24:00 +0000 China has announced a three-year nationwide inspection of the handling of dangerous chemicals following a series of deadly accidents that claimed hundreds of lives. The government plan calls for a clear delineation of responsibilities among regulators and greater accountability to help ensure public safety. Deadly Tianjin warehouse explosion: review leads to China moving 10 chemical plants The survey will evaluate the risks of dangerous chemicals during their production, storage, transport use... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2052305/chinas-cabinet-kicks-three-year-review-handling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2052305/chinas-cabinet-kicks-three-year-review-handling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Dec 2016 23:02:41 +0000 A Chinese court on Wednesday gave the head of a logistics company a suspended death sentence over a massive explosion at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin in 2015 which killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. Tianjin’s No 2 Intermediate Court ruled that Yu Xuewei, chairman of Ruihai International Logistics, paid bribes to obtain permission to illegally store more than 49,000 tonnes of sodium cyanide and other highly toxic chemicals at the company’s warehouse in the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2044719/chinese-businessman-receives-suspended-death-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2044719/chinese-businessman-receives-suspended-death-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Nov 2016 03:30:15 +0000 The toppling of acting Tianjin Communist Party boss and former Politburo contender Huang Xingguo could unleash a power struggle as forces vie for the coveted spot at the top ahead of next year’s reshuffle, analysts say. Graft-busters announced late on Saturday that Huang, 61, was suspected of “serious violations of discipline”, a term that usually ­refers to corruption. Huang’s fall means that a key municipality under the central government is simultaneously without a party chief and mayor for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2018440/top-tianjin-officials-exit-may-trigger-politburo-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2018440/top-tianjin-officials-exit-may-trigger-politburo-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Sep 2016 15:00:30 +0000 Tianjin ( 天津 ) seems to have put last year’s deadly explosions in the Binhai New Area behind it after reporting robust growth in economic output. But the question remains: Can businesses really be immune to such a scandalous accident – one that claimed 173 lives and devastated 10,000 homes? Cao Ye, a senior manager with German shipping firm Rickmers’ Beijing branch, said the city government’s subsequent ban on hazardous goods being loaded or discharged at the port was “painful” and it continued... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2002358/how-tianjins-economy-proved-immune-one-chinas-worst-industrial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2002358/how-tianjins-economy-proved-immune-one-chinas-worst-industrial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Aug 2016 13:03:40 +0000 Seen from afar, the excavators filling two huge pits in an empty swathe of land in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin ( 天津 ) look like toys. It’s easy to imagine they are being driven by surgeons, trying to close a gaping wound on the surface of the earth. It was here that around midnight on August 12, 2015, a series of blasts at the Ruihai International Logistics chemical warehouse sparked an inferno that claimed 173 lives and injured nearly 800. Among the dead were 115 firemen and police officers,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2002987/has-china-failed-learn-lessons-deadly-tianjin-explosions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2002987/has-china-failed-learn-lessons-deadly-tianjin-explosions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Aug 2016 13:00:45 +0000 Former fireman Zhang Mengfan lost his best friend to the inferno ignited by last year’s massive explosions at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin’s Binhai New Area. Zhang, 24, was working on the communications desk for his military firefighting brigade when the call came in. Comfort of home still out of reach as residents return one year after fatal Tianjin blasts He and his best friend, Zi Qinghai, who had spent almost 24 hours every day training to take fire alerts, sent the messages to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2002312/tianjin-disaster-still-scars-firefighters-families-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2002312/tianjin-disaster-still-scars-firefighters-families-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Aug 2016 06:15:15 +0000 Tianjin resident Ms He was readying her three-month-old daughter for bed a year ago when loud booms rocked her flat. The family, including their teenage son, lived in the residential buildings closest to the port city’s Binhai New Area, where two massive explosions and an inferno erupted on August 12, 2015, destroying buildings and claiming 173 lives. Tianjin disaster still scars firefighters’ families and friends one year on No one in the family sustained life-threatening injuries but all,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2002257/comfort-home-still-out-reach-residents-return-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2002257/comfort-home-still-out-reach-residents-return-one-year?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Aug 2016 04:30:30 +0000 The fire at a Jingjiang facility storing chemicals and fuel was fully put out early Saturday morning after blazing all day, Chinese media reported. No casualties were reported from the fire that began Friday around 9.40am and the subsequent explosions, the Jingjiang government confirmed on its microblog. Among the 42 tanks at the storage, 12 are gasoline tanks, the rest 30 contain dangerous chemicals including alcohol and lipid, according to Xinhua. The blast recalled huge explosions caused by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1937852/fire-jingjiang-chemical-storage-finally-controlled-early-morning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1937852/fire-jingjiang-chemical-storage-finally-controlled-early-morning?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Apr 2016 04:11:33 +0000 The 12th China International Press Photo Contest shone the spotlight on leading events and issues around the world in 2015, including the European refugee crisis and the Tianjin Port explosions. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1934085/press-photo-awards-put-china-frame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1934085/press-photo-awards-put-china-frame?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Apr 2016 00:17:56 +0000 It was not until the Binhai new district in Tianjin in northern China was rocked with deadly blasts last August that many people living in the area had even the first inkling that they were living next to a warehouse storing more than 11,000 tonnes of chemicals and hazardous goods. The authorities have since concluded an official investigation into one of the country’s worst industrial disasters, with 165 confirmed dead and eight still officially classed as missing after the explosions. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1915146/has-china-really-learned-safety-lessons-after-massive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1915146/has-china-really-learned-safety-lessons-after-massive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Feb 2016 03:30:30 +0000 Authorities in the Chinese city of Tianjin are to relocate 10 chemical plants that were found to be too close to residential areas – six months after a devastating chemical accident killed 173 people. State media reports said the Work Safety Bureau of Tianjin’s Binhai New Area had carried out a review of 583 chemical companies and found problems at 85 plants. READ MORE: Punishment looms for Tianjin explosion executives The area suffered one of China’s worst industrial accidents on August 12 when... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1913250/deadly-tianjin-warehouse-explosion-review-leads-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1913250/deadly-tianjin-warehouse-explosion-review-leads-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2016 05:15:45 +0000 The central government has begun naming executives it deems responsible for the Tianjin warehouse explosions in August, but the listed companies involved say they are waiting for official word on penalties. Tianjin Port Development and its parent company, Tianjin Development, said in filings to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Thursday that an official report on the incident had “suggested” Zhang Lili, an executive director of Tianjin Port group, be sacked. The companies said they had gleaned the... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1911984/punishment-looms-tianjin-explosion-executives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1911984/punishment-looms-tianjin-explosion-executives?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Feb 2016 09:46:48 +0000 In a rare move, Chinese authorities are expected to punish five ministerial-level officials for a massive blast at a Tianjin warehouse in August that claimed 165 lives, with the release on Friday of the official report into the explosion. Eight people are still missing and another 798 were injured in the disaster. The explosion also damaged 304 buildings, 12,428 cars, and 7,533 containers, resulting in 6.87 billion yuan (HK$8.14 billion) in losses, the report by the country’s top industry safety... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1909943/tianjin-blasts-investigators-urge-punishment-five-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1909943/tianjin-blasts-investigators-urge-punishment-five-top?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Feb 2016 16:28:56 +0000 A court in southern China handed a three-year jail sentence to a woman who posted a fabricated story online saying her family members were killed in the massive Tianjin port blasts last August, earning her 96,500 yuan in donations, mainland media reports. Yang Cailan was also fined 8,000 yuan (US$ 1,216 or HK$9,480) after being found guilty of fraud at the Fangcheng District People’s Court in Fangchenggang city in Guangxi on Thursday. The case was first reported by a news site affiliated with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1906626/woman-who-lied-about-losing-parents-tianjin-blasts-and-scammed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1906626/woman-who-lied-about-losing-parents-tianjin-blasts-and-scammed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Jan 2016 06:24:47 +0000 When an explosion devastated parts of China’s Tianjin port in August, one insurance company turned to Chinese-made drones to help analyse the rubble and estimate the damages. Comparing satellite photographs of the site ahead of the blast with high-resolution images taken later by drones, the People’s Insurance Company of China was able to determine how many vehicles had been destroyed and total the losses for German automaker Volkswagen. “There was nothing left but a big hole in the ground,” Lin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1892664/chinese-drones-prove-their-worth-analysing-damage-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1892664/chinese-drones-prove-their-worth-analysing-damage-after?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Dec 2015 09:45:45 +0000 Until a few months ago, Meng Fanjie considered herself among China’s rising middle class. A Tianjin-based white-collar professional, Meng earns more than 10,000 yuan (HK$12,000) a month, travels frequently for leisure and has some savings. Until August, she lived in a leased apartment into which she had poured over 100,000 yuan to transform it from bare concrete walls into a chic and cosy home. But things changed on August 12, when a series of explosions at a chemicals warehouse less than 1km... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1876915/case-homeless-tianjin-blast-victim-highlights-problem-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1876915/case-homeless-tianjin-blast-victim-highlights-problem-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Nov 2015 01:30:00 +0000 China has fired the president of Tianjin Port Group and plans to prosecute him for dereliction of duty, state media said on Wednesday, almost three months after huge chemical blasts at the northern port managed by the firm killed more than 160 people. Anger over safety standards is growing in China after three decades of swift economic growth marred by incidents from mining disasters to factory fires and President Xi Jinping has vowed that the authorities would learn the lessons paid for with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1875606/tianjin-port-chief-sacked-and-faces-charges-after-huge-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1875606/tianjin-port-chief-sacked-and-faces-charges-after-huge-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Nov 2015 08:13:46 +0000 Investigations into a blast at a chemical warehouse in Tianjin  that killed 165 people have uncovered evidence of corruption and dereliction of duty on behalf of officials. Those found responsible of such wrongdoing would be held fully accountable, whoever they were, Premier Li Keqiang  vowed on Tuesday after hearing from the investigation panel. “Punish those who should be punished, sack those who should be sacked, no exemption for the corrupt,” he said. READ MORE: ‘I’d be on my own if I didn’t... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1860908/tianjin-warehouse-blasts-evidence-corruption-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1860908/tianjin-warehouse-blasts-evidence-corruption-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2015 23:00:00 +0000 Nothing unusual was found in 40 samples of food supplied to Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety from Tianjin following deadly chemical explosions, the secretary for food and health said today The centre collected the samples after warehouse explosions last month in the northern port city and no abnormalities were found. “Experts from the country, such as environmental experts, have collected many samples from sites outside the explosion’s core area,” said health secretary Dr Ko Wing-man at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1859052/no-abnormalities-found-food-samples-tianjin-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1859052/no-abnormalities-found-food-samples-tianjin-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2015 08:15:45 +0000 China has begun a nationwide safety inspection into all its existing nuclear facilities in the wake of last month’s deadly explosions at a chemical warehouse at the port of Tianjin last month that killed 173 people. The inspections will last until November and will focus on the manufacturing and utilisation of nuclear equipment and technology, equipment used at uranium mines, and nuclear radiation risks, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a notice late on Monday. READ MORE: China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1858284/china-begins-nationwide-nuclear-safety-checks-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1858284/china-begins-nationwide-nuclear-safety-checks-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2015 05:30:15 +0000 Mainland authorities ended the search for the remaining eight missing in massive chemical warehouse explosions in Tianjin last month, setting the final death toll at 173 in the nation's worst industrial disaster in years. The announcement on the city government's microblog said there was no hope of finding the eight people, and the court would now start issuing death certificates. "After thorough investigations by all parties, it is certain that there is no possibility of survivors," said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1857675/mainland-chinese-authorities-end-search-missing-massive-tianjin-warehouse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1857675/mainland-chinese-authorities-end-search-missing-massive-tianjin-warehouse?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2015 20:37:50 +0000 Analysts say August’s deadly chemical blasts in the northern port city of Tianjin affected China’s shipments as the government reported exports and imports fell during the month. The news will add to growth pressures facing the world’s second-largest economy. Overseas shipments fell 6.1 per cent from a year earlier in yuan terms, the General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday. The reading compared with a fall of 8.9 per cent in July. Imports dropped 14.3 per cent, widening from an 8.6 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1856249/deadly-tianjin-blasts-weigh-chinas-shipments-exports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1856249/deadly-tianjin-blasts-weigh-chinas-shipments-exports?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2015 06:15:30 +0000 An ugly row has broken out over compensation for firemen killed in last month’s deadly Tianjin  blasts as the city unveiled plans to build an ecological park, including a memorial to the men  who gave their lives as they tried to put out the raging fires. Family members of some of the dead firefighters, employed as contract staff by the company managing the port, said the government had failed to honour them and to compensate them equally with dead firemen who worked for the government.   Two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1855687/families-dead-contract-firefighters-row-tianjin-government-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1855687/families-dead-contract-firefighters-row-tianjin-government-over?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2015 05:05:42 +0000 Chinese state media has for the first time reported remarks over Tianjin’s deadly blasts by a senior politician, who had served as the Communist Party’s city boss before rising to the top echelon of politics. Executive Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, a member of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, had convened seven video conferences and issued 29 instructions over the rescue operation and investigation into the hazardous warehouse explosion that killed at least 158 and injured hundreds,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854385/authorities-should-deliver-honest-explanation-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1854385/authorities-should-deliver-honest-explanation-first?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2015 07:45:15 +0000 What do Malaysia's missing flight MH370, the deadly blasts in Tianjin and the stock market crisis in the world's No2 economy all have in common? Incompetent governance. The whole world was shocked when the Malaysia Airlines flight went missing on March 8 last year. But that shock quickly turned into frustration, especially for the Chinese families of missing MH370 passengers, due to the weak crisis management and bad communication of the Malaysian government. The recent chemical explosions at... https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1853860/malaysias-mh370-chinas-stock-crisis-bad-governance-compounding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1853860/malaysias-mh370-chinas-stock-crisis-bad-governance-compounding?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2015 14:15:45 +0000 The authorities in Tianjin are building a 20,000-square metre “leak-proof” tank to store contaminated soil from the scene of the huge explosions at a dangerous goods warehouse earlier this month that killed at least 145 people, state media reported. The pool is to be built 4km from the site of the explosions in Tianjin port, the state-run news agency Xinhua said. A 13-cm “impermeable layer” of sand and bricks will be placed at the bottom and workers are busy lining the tank with leak-proof... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853372/contaminated-soil-tianjin-blasts-site-be-stored-huge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1853372/contaminated-soil-tianjin-blasts-site-be-stored-huge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2015 06:15:45 +0000 Rescue authorities updated the death toll from the Tianjin warehouse explosions to 129, with 44 others missing, on Monday. All the dead have been identified, including 76 firefighters, seven policemen and 46 other people. The missing people include 28 firefighters, four policemen and 12 others.  Clean-up work continues at the scene of the blasts. https://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1853102/cleaning-after-apocalypse-tianjin-pictures-two-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1853102/cleaning-after-apocalypse-tianjin-pictures-two-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2015 09:30:15 +0000 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1852945/chinas-leadership-infuriated-tianjin-governments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1852945/chinas-leadership-infuriated-tianjin-governments?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Aug 2015 01:30:00 +0000 A safety assessment that gave the green light to the hazardous goods warehouse at the centre of the Tianjin explosions concluded it conformed to government standards, despite acknowledging the location of nearby flats that have since been shown to be contravene such regulations. The assessment, by consultancy Zhongbin Haisheng, came despite its acknowledgment that a residential area was 970 metres from the warehouse and a highway about 310 metres away. Both distances are within the government's... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1851799/hazardous-warehouse-green-lighted-despite-acknowledging-nearby-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1851799/hazardous-warehouse-green-lighted-despite-acknowledging-nearby-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2015 18:06:22 +0000 A chemical factory in a village in eastern Shandong province exploded on Saturday night, injuring nine people, local media and police reported.  The blast shattered windows of houses less than a kilometre away.   The explosion occurred at about 8.50pm at a chemical plant owned by Ruixing Chemical in Dongfu village near Zibo city, the Qilu Evening News reported on Weibo. Zibo city police said nine people were injured.  The incident occurred just 10 days after a series of blasts at a chemicals... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851787/nine-injured-explosion-chemical-plant-eastern-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851787/nine-injured-explosion-chemical-plant-eastern-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2015 15:45:15 +0000 The death toll has risen to 121 in the chemical warehouse explosion in the northern Chinese port of Tianjin, while another 54 people remain unaccounted for, the city government said Saturday.  Among the dead from the Aug. 12 disaster are 67 firefighters, while another 37 firefighters missing, the government said on its official microblog.  It said that 11 policemen are also among the dead and missing, making it the worst disaster for first responders in recent Chinese history.  The cause of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851701/tianjin-blast-death-toll-rises-121-including-67-firefighters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851701/tianjin-blast-death-toll-rises-121-including-67-firefighters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2015 11:00:30 +0000 Tianjin authorities have placed animals in cages at the site of the Tianjin explosions in a bid to reassure the public over the air quality.  Following the advice of experts with the rescue operation effort, soldiers from the PLA Beijing military command area have set laid down the brightly coloured cages containing rabbits, chickens and pigeons, Shanghai-based online news outlet Thepaper.cn reported. Tianjin Deputy Mayor He Shushan said at least 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide were being stored... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851674/caged-animals-placed-tianjin-blast-scene-reassure-public-jittery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851674/caged-animals-placed-tianjin-blast-scene-reassure-public-jittery?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2015 08:05:52 +0000 There has been another warehouse fire in eastern China, state media reported on Thursday afternoon. The blaze, in Hefei city in Anhui province, caused no casualties but comes just a week after a chemical warehouse explosions in the port of Tianjin killed 116 and injured 677, with 65 still missing. The Hefei warehouse blaze broke out after noon and quickly spread to a neighbouring express transit station and a nearby paint warehouse, Anhuinews.com reported The report did not say how extensive the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851428/fire-destroys-another-warehouse-eastern-china-week-after-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851428/fire-destroys-another-warehouse-eastern-china-week-after-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2015 08:15:00 +0000 With their homes destroyed in the massive warehouse explosions last week that killed at least 116 people in China’s port city of Tianjin, residents living near the blast site wonder when their lives will return to normal. “I don’t have a plan now,” said Guo, whose apartment was severely damaged in last Wednesday’s blasts. “A normal life seems too far out of reach.” Guo, 31, returned to her home on Thursday morning to collect what was left of her belongings. Glass was scattered throughout her... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851326/normal-life-now-out-reach-residents-near-tianjin-blast-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851326/normal-life-now-out-reach-residents-near-tianjin-blast-site?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 23:00:15 +0000 Of all the graphic images from last week's Tianjin port explosions and fire, perhaps the most heart-rending was of relatives seeking news of the people now known as the "forgotten firemen", who remain unaccounted for a week later. Two things set these men apart. The first is that they are not elite or regular firefighting forces, but employed by the port's own fire department. The second is that although on the bottom rung of the professional firefighter's ladder, they were the first responders... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1851219/wake-deadly-tianjin-blasts-china-must-review-its-fire-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1851219/wake-deadly-tianjin-blasts-china-must-review-its-fire-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 18:00:00 +0000 Authorities in Tianjin will buy damaged flats near the site of last week's blasts, representatives of owners were told at a closed-door meeting on Thursday. Owners of flats in dozens of damaged residential buildings were given two options, including selling their homes to the government, according to homeowners briefed by their representatives after meeting Binhai government officials. The flats would be bought at the average per-square-metre market price one week before the disaster, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851222/officials-backtrack-refusal-buy-flats-tianjin-blast-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851222/officials-backtrack-refusal-buy-flats-tianjin-blast-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 15:45:30 +0000 Authorities in the Chinese city of Tianjin have finally identified what chemicals were being stored inside the warehouse yard operated by Ruihai International Logistics, which was the scene of the deadly explosions that killed at least 145 people. They also said they had cleared out 150 tonnes of the highly toxic sodium cyanide, found in the central area of the blast zone, and sent it back to the manufacturers for recycling. Chemical experts had finished scouring an area within a 3km radius of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851059/tianjins-deadly-blasts-numbers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851059/tianjins-deadly-blasts-numbers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 05:15:15 +0000 Toyota said at least 67 employees were injured after giant explosions last week in the Chinese city of Tianjin where the carmaker’s factory lines will remain closed for the next few days. Production at Toyota’s Tianjin subsidiary, including a factory line 70 km away that depends on parts from the main operation, has been halted since the blasts. “We last confirmed that over 50 employees who live in the surrounding area, including in company accommodation, have been injured,” a company spokesman... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851025/toyota-says-67-its-staff-injured-tianjin-disaster-and-production?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851025/toyota-says-67-its-staff-injured-tianjin-disaster-and-production?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 01:57:11 +0000 More transparency from the Chinese authorities on the handling and storage of hazardous waste could have mitigated, or possibly even prevented, the disaster in Tianjin, according to a UN expert. About 700 tonnes of highly toxic sodium cyanide were at the site devastated by major blasts last week, which killed at least 114 people, with fears rising that spreading pollution could cause further suffering. “The lack of information when needed, information that could have mitigated or perhaps even... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851020/un-hazardous-waste-expert-criticises-chinese-authorities-handling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1851020/un-hazardous-waste-expert-criticises-chinese-authorities-handling?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2015 01:45:45 +0000 Tianjin's top official apologised for the city's deadly blasts as he addressed the media for the first time on Monday a week after the explosions killed at least 114 people. Despite rising anger over the government's handling of the accident, Huang Xingguo , the acting Communist Party boss and mayor of the port city, stopped short of clearing the air on its cause and fallout. "The accident has led to great loss of life and property. I feel very sad and guilty," he said. "As the leading official... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850997/apology-few-answers-tianjins-mayor-finally-meets-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850997/apology-few-answers-tianjins-mayor-finally-meets-media?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:30 +0000 One of the main controllers of the logistics company at the centre of last week's deadly warehouse blasts in Tianjin has admitted that his father was the city port's former police chief and that he had good connections with the public security and fire services authorities. Dong Shexuan - who was detained by police for his involvement in Ruihai International Logistics, which operated the dangerous-goods warehouse - said he held a 45 per cent stake in the company through his high school classmate... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1850954/owners-chinese-firm-ran-tianjin-dangerous-goods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1850954/owners-chinese-firm-ran-tianjin-dangerous-goods?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:15:00 +0000 Toyota Motor Corp could divert shipments from China’s Tianjin port where operations have been disrupted indefinitely after last week’s deadly explosions that have killed at least 114 people. A senior Beijing-based executive at the Japanese company said on Wednesday that other ports could be used for future shipments. Shanghai and Dalian ports should have enough capacity to prevent a severe logistical problem for Toyota in the world’s biggest auto market, the executive said. The port of Tianjin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1850838/deadly-blasts-tianjin-mean-toyota-likely-divert-vehicle-shipments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/1850838/deadly-blasts-tianjin-mean-toyota-likely-divert-vehicle-shipments?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 09:00:00 +0000 The son of Yang Dongliang, China’s top official on work safety, was taken away for investigation almost at the same time as his father was being scrutinised for alleged violation of Communist Party rules and the law, local media have reported. His son is Yang Hui, a deputy general manager of the CNOOC Gas & Power Group, a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation. According to The Beijing News, he was taken away while on a business trip in Tianjin, the port city where a warehouse... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850805/son-detained-tianjin-work-safety-official-taken-away-same-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850805/son-detained-tianjin-work-safety-official-taken-away-same-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:15:15 +0000 A Tianjin city environment official has reassured the public that air and water supplies around the deadly blast site are safe following reports that an unidentified nerve gas was found in the area. Bao Jingling, chief engineer of Tianjin’s environmental protection bureau, also said on Wednesday that he had received no reports of anyone at the scene being taken to hospital with symptoms of chemical poisoning, including cyanide poisoning. His comments came after state broadcaster CCTV raised... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850800/air-and-water-tianjin-blast-site-both-safe-says-official-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850800/air-and-water-tianjin-blast-site-both-safe-says-official-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:00:45 +0000 The Communist Party’s official newspaper has urged officials to learn from Western countries about how to brief the public on emergencies and disasters amid signs of growing disquiet in China over the trustworthiness of the information the authorities are releasing about the huge explosions in Tianjin and the possible threat of contamination. A commentary in the People’s Daily said Western countries were more open in giving worst-case scenarios in the wake of disasters and this helped create... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850788/china-can-learn-west-about-briefing-public-disasters-admits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850788/china-can-learn-west-about-briefing-public-disasters-admits?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 07:00:00 +0000 A week has passed since the deadly explosions in the city of Tianjin, but government authorities are still struggling to answer a slew of questions in the aftermath of the tragedy. The state news agency Xinhua has published a report asking four questions, which it said the public were most concerned about, as it tried to shed some light on the cause of the explosions which have killed at least 114 people. But Xinhua said its conclusions did not represent the official findings. 1. What caused... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850765/4-big-questions-chinese-people-want-answered-following-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850765/4-big-questions-chinese-people-want-answered-following-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 05:45:45 +0000 Authorities in Tianjin on Wednesday ruled out buying homes damaged by the shockwaves from last week’s explosions but said residents could still expect compensation.The refusal came as the number of homeowners protesting at the government press conferences doubled to about a hundred.   Zong Guoying, the Communist Party chief of the Binhai New Area, where the disaster occurred, announced the decision. “The concept of buying back something refers to the action between two parties in a transaction,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850768/authorities-tianjin-rule-out-buying-back-flats-damaged-explosions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1850768/authorities-tianjin-rule-out-buying-back-flats-damaged-explosions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2015 05:15:00 +0000