China warehouse explosion: Tianjin workers race to clear site of deadly chemicals before it rains

An aerial view of the crater left by a huge explosion that rocked the port city of Tianjin, China (EPA)

pChinese officials face a race against time to clear toxic chemicals from the site of the a href=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-explosions-toll-rises-and-toxin-fears-grow-after-sea-of-fire-10457562.htmlTianjin warehouse explosion/a, amid fears the blast may have released hundreds of tons of toxic gas into the air./p pSoldiers have joined rescue workers in gas masks and hazard suits in the port city where the death toll from Wednesday’s massive explosion has risen to 112. Another 95, the majority of whom were firefighters, remained missing./ppOfficials confirmed the warehouse where the blast occurred was used to house more than 100 tons of sodium cyanide, a potentially deadly substance./ppThe presence of the chemicals was confirmed by Shi Luze, the chief of staff of the Peoples Liberation Armys Beijing Military Region./ppHe said workers were trying to clear the area before possible rain showers, which could create toxic gas./pp img alt=soldiers-tianjin.jpg src=http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10457891.ece/BINARY/soldiers-tianjin.jpg width=w460/ span class=caption Soldiers of the Chinese armys anti-chemical warfare corps work next to a damaged firefighting vehicle at the site of Wednesday nights explosions in Tianjin (Reuters) /span img alt=tianjin-crater.jpg src=http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10457892.ece/BINARY/tianjin-crater.jpg width=w460/ span class=caption The site of the explosion in Tianjin (EPA) /span img alt=Beijing-6-AFP.jpg src=http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10456317.ece/BINARY/Beijing-6-AFP.jpg width=w460/ span class=caption Smoke billows from behind burnt out Volkswagen cars the second morning after a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse hit the city of Tianjin (AFP) /span The government has faced calls to extend its a href=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-explosions-toll-rises-and-toxin-fears-grow-after-sea-of-fire-10457562.html3km exclusion zone around the site/a, though Shi said the toxins represented no danger to people outside the evacuated area./ppFire crews were criticised for using water to douse flames in the initial fire which may have contributed to the blasts, given the volatile nature of the chemicals involved./ppGreenpeace said tests around the blast site showed that water supplies were not severely contaminated with cyanide, but that they did not disprove the presence of other hazardous chemicals in the water. a class=escenic-gallery href=http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/taijin-explosion--in-pictures-10453105.html id=10453105 Taijin Explosion - In Pictures /a /ppGreenpeace reiterates its call for authorities to implement a comprehensive survey of hazardous chemicals currently present in air and water supplies and make public all information, it said./ppShockwaves from the blast itself were felt by people in apartment blocks several kilometres from the warehouse, and the larger explosions registered as seismic events with the US Geological Survey./ppMore than 6,000 people have been displaced since, and a group sheltering in a school near the site was moved on Saturday for fear that a change in wind direction could bring toxic gases their way./ph5Read more: a href=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-explosions-evacuation-ordered-over-fears-of-chemical-contamination-in-tianjin-10456931.htmlEvacuation ordered over contamination fears/abra href=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tianjin-explosions-teenage-survivor-pulled-from-wreckage-after-32-hours-as-authorities-warn-another-blast-could-hit-at-any-time-10455079.htmlAuthorities warn another blast could hit Tianjin at any time/abra href=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tianjin-explosions-new-footage--shows-both-devastating-blasts-at-terrifyingly-close-range-10455135.htmlFootage shows both devastating blasts at terrifyingly close range/a/h5pIm very worried that these dangerous chemicals will harm my health, said Zhang Yinbao, who works in the chemical industry and whose apartment building is only 800 metres from the blast site./ppThe Chinese premier Li Keqiang travelled to Tianjin on Sunday and met with those who had been injured and evacuated. His visit coincided with an order from Tianjin officials for a city-wide check of potential fire safety violations./p