At least 44 people are now known to have died,
and more than 500 injured, following two major
explosions in China's northern city of Tianjin.
Twelve firefighters were among the dead, China's
official Xinhua news agency said as it reported a
doubling of the death toll.
Two blasts happened in a warehouse storing
"dangerous and chemical goods" in the port city
of the area.
A huge fireball lit up the sky, and nearby buildings
have collapsed.
President Xi Jinping has urged "all-out efforts" to
rescue victims and contain the fire, Xinhua
reports.
The first explosion at about 23:30 local time
(15:30 GMT) on Wednesday was followed by
another, more powerful blast, seconds later.
Shockwaves were felt several kilometres away.
The China Earthquake Networks Centre said the
magnitude of the first explosion was the
equivalent of detonating three tonnes of TNT,
while the second was the equivalent of 21 tonnes.
Further blasts were subsequently triggered
nearby, Xinhua said.
State broadcaster China Central Television
(CCTV) said a shipment of explosives had
detonated but this has not been confirmed.
Senior managers of Ruihai Logistics, which owns
the warehouse where the explosion happened, are
being questioned by authorities, state media
reports.
One witness, named only as Ms Yang, told local
media she was out shopping when "suddenly
from behind there was a big fireball and
explosion".
"At the time of the explosion the ground was
shaking fiercely, nearby cars and buildings were
shaking, glass from a few buildings all broke and
everyone started to run," she said.
At the scene: John Sudworth, BBC News, Tianjin
The apartment complex closest to the explosion
has eight rows of high-rise tower blocks.
In every one of them, almost every window has
been blown out. On the ground outside are the
signs of the many families who have fled from
their beds in a hurry - a woman's shoe, children's
toys, mangled bicycles.
There would have been many injured here. Inside
the homes, furniture has been picked up as if by
a whirlwind and interior doors lie at angles,
ripped off their hinges.
It may be a long time before the cause of the
explosion is known. Such is the scale of this
disaster that for now, the authorities are simply
struggling to achieve an accurate account of the
numbers of dead and injured.
Travelling into Tianjin blast zone
Blast 'like end of the world'
Tianjin pictures reveal devastation
Another witness, Canadian teacher Monica
Andrews, told how she woke in panic after what
she thought was an earthquake.
"I... looked out the window and the sky was red. I
just watched a second explosion go off and [it
was] just pure chaos, everyone leaving their
apartment buildings thinking it's an earthquake,
cars trying to leave the complex. It was crazy,"
she told the BBC.
China National Radio said cracks were visible in
buildings near the site of the blast.
Several tower blocks near the port area are
without power, CCTV added.
Tianjin, home to some 15 million people, is a
major port and industrial area to the south-east
of the Chinese capital, Beijing,

source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33900268

Wahala everywhere millions of dollars burning.

Live ev'ryday like ts ur last.Live to make HEAVEN

Horror....

The kingdom is at hand

Chinaharam at work