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 The evacuation came as a fire broke out again at the site of
Wednesday's blasts which killed dozens in an industrial zone in the
northeastern port of Tianjin, a warehouse specially designed to
store dangerous chemicals, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Evacuees were advised to wear long trousers and face masks as they
"evacuated in an orderly fashion", according to a post on the
official microblog of the Tianjin branch of the National Health and
Family Planning Commission of China. The streets appeared calm.
But not all was clear amid emotional scenes as families of missing
fire fighters sought answers about their loves ones and officials
tried to keep media cameras away. Gong Jiansheng, a district
official, told reporters there had been no evacuation.
In one piece of encouraging news, a 50-year-old man was rescued 50
meters away from the blast zone, Xinhua said. The man was suffering
from a burnt respiratory tract but was in a stable condition after
surviving three days in a shipping container, the official China
Central Television (CCTV) and Xinhua said.
Chinese police confirmed for the first time the presence of deadly
sodium cyanide at the site of the blast that killed 85 people, state
media said, as a series of new, small explosions were heard and
small fires broke out.
Police confirmed the presence of the chemical, fatal when ingested
or inhaled, "roughly east of the blast site", the state-run Beijing
News said.
It did not say how much had been found or how great a risk it posed
but residents expressed concern about the air and water.
"I do feel a bit afraid," said construction worker Li Shulan, 49,
when asked about the air quality. "It definitely doesn't feel good.
As you can see our boss is making us wear masks."
An area three km (two miles) from the blast site was cordoned off,
the Beijing News said.
No cyanide had been found in the ocean surrounding the port, said
the State Oceanic Administration of China in a post on its official
website. At an afternoon news conference, officials declined to
discuss pollution concerns, referring journalists to other
departments.
FAMILIES DESPERATE FOR INFORMATION
There were about seven small explosions in the area on Saturday,
according to a post on the micro-blog of CCTV. A fresh blaze ignited
cars in a parking lot next to the blast site. The cause was not
immediately clear. State media carried reports of other fires in the
area.
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A retired environmental official earlier told reporters that air
pollution posed no risk. Harmful substances could not be detected in
the air from 17 monitors placed around the city, he said.
About 6,300 people have been displaced by the blasts
with around 721 injured and 33 in serious condition, Xinhua said.
Shockwaves from the explosions were felt by residents in apartment
blocks kilometers away in the city of 15 million people. Twenty-one
of the dead were fire fighters.
About a dozen family members of missing fire fighters tried to storm
a press conference, angry at a lack of information about their loved
ones.
"We have gone to each and every hospital by ourselves and not found
them," said Wang Baoxia, whose elder brother is missing.
Media have said such fire fighters in China, often only on two-year
contracts, lack training as new recruits.
"There is no government official willing to meet us. Not even one,"
Wang said. Relatives said around 25 missing fire fighters were young
contract workers not part of official city fire brigades.
After Wednesday's blasts, fire crews were criticized for using water
to douse flames which may have contributed to the blasts given the
volatile nature of the chemicals involved.
Industrial accidents are not uncommon in China following three
decades of fast growth. A blast at an auto parts factory killed 75
people a year ago.
(Reporting by Megha Rajagopalan and Natalie Thomas in Tianjin, Engen
Tham and Yixin Chen in Shanghai; Editing by Michael Martina and Nick
Macfie)
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