Massive Explosion in Tianjin, China

[cheezMcNASTY]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/asia/china-port-explosion/

Tianjin, China (CNN)A series of huge explosions shook the northern Chinese city of Tianjin late Wednesday, killing at least 44 people and injuring hundreds more, according to officials and state media.

The cause was not immediately clear.

 

[Spikeyroxas]

Wow...
Those poor people.

You know, I always find it weird that multiple people happen to be filming at the time. Like what we're they filming before?

I heard it was a fuel explosion or something.

 

[Venomous Oddball]

That's terrible. Those pictures really got to me.

You know, I always find it weird that multiple people happen to be filming at the time. Like what we're they filming before?

I've noticed that too. People film the weirdest things at the worst times.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

Recent update: It was not a fuel explosion.
It was a building.
Owned by a company that:
Are you ready?
Stored and transported dangerous chemicals.

Of all the buildings you could blow up. Like, really?

I'm freaking suspicious over that one, man. Either someone really ****ed up at work (probable), a terrorist group has major beef with China (plausible), or we have a super villain on our hands (most likely of all possibilities).

The death count is now "at least 85." Which means it's almost certainly not 85 but higher.

You know, I always find it weird that multiple people happen to be filming at the time. Like what we're they filming before?

I've noticed that too. People film the weirdest things at the worst times.

There was a fire prior to the explosion which people were likely filming.
One of the chemicals present was calcium carbide. A chemical that, when combined with water, becomes flammable. This BBC article suggests the explosion was a result of firefighters hitting calcium carbide with water, which was then ignited by the fire.

Source

 

[La Femme Fatale]

Seemed to be a cocktail of flammable chemicals - I've also heard sodium cyanide was a factor as well.

So apparently the residents of Tianjin had been protesting the government for years to get these chemicals out of the port, but unsurprisingly the Chinese government seemed to be a bit more concerned with protecting private industry than its people.

I imagine the death toll will likely keep rising. Can you imagine what might happen when it rains? So very sad.

 

[Romero]

The last I heard on the news (yesterday) was that water from the fire brigade caused the explosions. It was a chemical fire and they used water to put it out.

 

[Venomous Oddball]

The last I heard on the news (yesterday) was that water from the fire brigade caused the explosions. It was a chemical fire and they used water to put it out.

No offense to them but... that's really stupid.

 

[Romero]

They have permission to store up to 10 tonnes of cyanide in a warehouse. They had hundreds of tonnes there... And cyanide reacts with water and becomes explosive.

That much cyanide blowing up? I wouldn't want to be there.

 

[Venomous Oddball]

They have permission to store up to 10 tonnes of cyanide in a warehouse. They had hundreds of tonnes there... And cyanide reacts with water and becomes explosive.

That much cyanide blowing up? I wouldn't want to be there.

If they're gonna store cyanide they should at least know to never get water around it. I thought that was common sense... then again, I probably only know that because my dad's a firefighter.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

Let alone build the facility practically in the ocean.

On the most techtonically unstable coast in the world.