BEIJING
The death toll from blasts at a warehouse in a northern Chinese port city rose to 116 Friday, while four new fires broke out in nearby parts of Tianjin.
State news agency Xinhua reported that three of the fires were sparked in the central blast zone of the Binhai New Area.
A fourth broke out in a logistics park emergency workers refer to as the "tomb of cars" due to at least 3,000 vehicles being scorched at the site following last week’s blast.
Following the initial explosions that rocked the warehouse Aug. 12, fires have repeatedly erupted in the nearby area as a result of the spread of flammable substances.
As of Friday afternoon, the death toll from last Wednesday's blasts had risen to 116, while 60 people remained missing.
Around 700 remained hospitalized, with more than 50 in critical or serious condition. Firefighters who had responded to the initial blast make up a large number of the victims.
Tian Weiyong, Ministry of Environmental Protection's Environment Emergency Center director, revealed Thursday that some water monitoring stations in the core zone have detected concentrations of toxic cyanide compounds exceeding the national standard -- by as much as 356 times.
The China Daily reported him as underlining that most of the water beyond the zone falls within safety levels, adding that “all the polluted water will be kept within the zone until it has been properly handled."
In a statement released late Thursday, President Xi Jinping called on rescue teams to keep up their efforts while ordering a thorough investigation and effective follow-up measures.
The statement stressed carefully checks of the explosion area and its surroundings, as well as the need to continue the search for those missing.
Earlier this week, the chief of Tianjin’s Bureau of Environmental Protection, Wen Wurui, had assured that air and water data indicated there would not be a significant impact on human health.
He added, however, that they could not say when cleanup efforts at the blast center would be completed.
The warehouse -- owned by Rui Hai International Logistics Co. -- had been storing around 40 substances, including sodium cyanide, potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate. Inflammable materials accounted for 500 tons and highly toxic substances for 700 tons.
Tianjin Mayor Huang Xingguo has claimed responsibility, and vowed that the chemical plants in the Binhai New Area would be relocated to the Nangang Industrial Zone located around 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) away.
Xinhua reported Wednesday that although Chinese regulations forces “dangerous” warehouses to be at least 1,000 meters away from transport hubs and public buildings "the [Tianjin] warehouse was only 560 meters away from the Vanke residential community and 630 meters from a rail station.”
Some of the executives of Rui Hai International Logistics Co. -- including company head Yu Xuewei and deputy head Dong Shexuan -- are under police detention.
A report by Xinhua, for which Dong and Yu were interviewed about "false ownership", suggested that licensing for the warehouse may have been obtained through connections and consulting with several safety inspection companies until approval was obtained.
China's Cabinet of ministers, the State Council, has set up a panel to investigate the accident and to "define the nature and gravity of the accident, and determine liability", according to a statement.
The investigators will also advise what punishments should be given when charges are laid.
Around 17,000 households have also been affected by the blasts, with some asking for compensation.
Since the blast, China’s most populated city Shanghai has launched widespread work-safety inspections for enterprises dealing with hazardous chemicals, inflammable materials and explosives.
Beijing has also tightened safety checks on firms working with chemicals, with the capital’s bureau of work safety already shutting down two firms found to not comply with management standards.
Meanwhile, the military has ordered the army and armed police to conduct thorough examinations of their weapon, ammunition, fuel, chemical, explosive and toxic material warehouses, according to the People's Liberation Army Daily.
