It handled hazardous chemicals within the Port of Tianjin, such as flammable and corrosive substances, oxidizing agents, and toxic chemicals. Chemical experts suggest an acetylene blast could then have detonated the other chemicals for a much larger blast. In February 2016, China's State Administration of Work Safety issued an investigation report on the Tianjin explosions. Yu Xuewei, the Chairman of Ruihai Logistics, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. But authorities have imposed stringent checks and movement in and out of the port has slowed down, which is likely to affect some industries, the Mysteel.com news portal reported. It was reported that some had chosen to sell their damaged apartments to private developers, who offered them around 130% of the original purchase price, while others accepted an offer from the local government promising to fix the damaged apartments. The explosions in Tianjin occurred at night when most workers were away from the immediate blast site and many people were asleep. Officials downplayed the fears, saying that there were not high levels of cyanide in the river and that the fish likely died due to oxygen depletion in the water. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The investigation report lists ten violations by the warehouse owner, Ruihai Logistics, leading to the accident. [47][48][49] Sodium cyanide leakage was reported in the sewer. According to the conclusion of the investigation report, the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) proposed a series of recommendations for improvement to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The National Earthquake Bureau reported two major blasts before midnight, the first with an equivalent of 3 tons of TNT, and the second with the equivalent of 21 tons. The first two explosions occurred 33 seconds apart. Black Swans in the Supply Chain: Long Term Effects of the Tianjin Port Next, we introduce a number of classes of hazardous chemical. The proposal was heavily criticized on Chinese social media, which derided the rushed announcement as an attempt to erase the damage and avoid accountability. Topics: Chance of rain 70%. Mining giant BHP Billiton saw some disruption to its port operations and shipments. Lebanon is on the edge of financial collapse, the world is facing unprecedented economic upheaval, and recovery will need to rely heavily on NGOs, charity, and foreign government aid. The explosion was large enough to be photographed by Himawari, a geostationary meteorological satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a shipment of "dangerous goods" in a warehouse exploded and caused massive damage, killing at least 85 including 17 firefighters, at a container dock in the Chinese city of Tianjin - home to the world's 10th busiest port. [39] Beyond insurance, the cost to businesses of the break in the supply chain caused by the explosions was estimated at $9billion, making it the third most expensive supply chain disruption of 2015. CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO Source: STR/AFP/Getty Images The local government offered an additional of 20,000 renminbi ($3,100) to those who agreed to settle their claims by the deadline. On Monday, authorities said they were putting out one last area that was still burning, and the last of the toxic chemicals would be neutralised and disposed of by the end of the day. 2,054,776 views. Major media has drawn heavily from social media sources, greatly widening the audience. Two days after explosive fires at a chemical warehouse devastated part of the port city of Tianjin, even with the flames largely extinguished, worry still rules. In our November 2015 housing survey of Tianjin shortly after the explosions, sources told us that while some assignees and business offices chose to leave the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) for more central locations farther away from the industrial port area, others chose to stay. The explosions occurred at a container storage station in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin, China. Explosions at a chemical warehouse left more than a hundred people dead and hundreds. On 12 August 2015, a series of explosions at the Port of Tianjin in Tianjin, Northern China, killed 173 people, according to official reports, and injured hundreds of others. "[12][47][68], Initially, Tianjin authorities banned editors and reporters from sharing information about the disaster on Weibo and WeChat, and websites were ordered to follow state media. 1.1K. More than 200 chemical and biological experts from the military were on site earlier. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Initial disaster recovery efforts and long-term recovery in Tianjin had the funding of economic powerhouse China, in a positive global economic climate. TIANJIN, China Thunderous, fiery explosions at a warehouse containing hazardous goods traumatized this northeast port city late Wednesday, killing at least 44 people, injuring at least 400 . Renault says some 1,500 of its cars were lost, while Hyundai said it had around 4,000 cars on the site - although it has not yet assessed the level of damage. China's Tianjin Explosion: Americans Describe Moment Blasts Hit - NBC News Shortages of housing are expected, in addition to the other challenges facing the future of Beirut. Not only was the blast radius of Beiruts explosion larger, but the density of residential and business development around the port area is much higher than the site of the Tianjin explosion, a more industrial area still in development. Chinese state media reported at least 13 people were killed and hundreds hurt in massive explosions in the port city of Tianjin, east of Beijing. According to police, the warehouse in Tianjin's port was designed to house dangerous and toxic chemicals, and was storing mainly ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and calcium carbide at the time of the blasts. At the same time, it also rang a warning bell to the insurance industry about the importance of identifying and managing risks pertaining to hazardous chemicals. The explosions occurred at a container storage station in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin , China. [54], On Thursday morning, the Chinese leaders ordered officers in the city to make full effort in rescuing the injured, and search for those missing. Today, a lush 60-acre "eco . We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and The report concluded the fire started in a container through auto-ignition of nitrocellulose, due to vaporization of the wetting agent during hot weather. Table 1 Largest man-made insured losses globally, in USD billion at 2015 prices, Terror attack on WTC, Pentagon, other buildings, Condensates including propane, butane and pentane, Explosions at a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals at Tianjin Port, Vapour cloud explosion at petrochemical plant. [45], Ammonium nitrate, which is predominantly used as an agricultural fertilizer, oxidizing agent in explosive compositions, and in manufacturing of other chemicals, has been inculpated in a number of other fatal industrial explosions. China's GB 12268-2012 "List of Dangerous Goods" included nine major categories involving 3495 (types) of hazardous goods. State media said senior management of the company had been detained by authorities. TIANJIN, China - Massive explosions that rocked the port city of Tianjin were so strong that residents miles away thought they were . We understand that people make an organization successful. How are companies looking at the Social pillar of ESG? Deng Xiaowen, director of Tianjin's environmental monitoring centre, stated that the foam was "a normal phenomenon when rain falls, and similar things have occurred before". Handling more than 477 million tons of cargo and 13 million TEU s in 2013, Tianjin is the 3rd busiest port by raw tonnage and 10th busiest container port in the world. In this image taken from video footage run by Chinas CCTV, an aerial shot shows a partially collapsed building in the eastern Chinese port city of Tianjin, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. China explosions: What we know about what happened in Tianjin By reviewing and analysing the causes and effects of the explosion at the Port of Tianjin, Swiss Re hopes to guide insurance companies to place greater emphasis on risk management and raise their ability to identify, control and reduce risks, thereby enhancing underwriting and improving risk control levels. It's still not clear what exactly caused the materials to ignite, or why the blast was so enormous. In particular, the code clarifies the definition of hazardous chemicals as referring to highly toxic chemicals and other chemicals that have toxic, corrosive, explosive, combustible, and combustion supporting properties that are harmful to the human body, facilities and the environment. Reuters reports that several thousand people living near the port have had to leave their homes, and are now staying in local schools. The closest residential areas are now uninhabitable and some structures unsalvageable, so everyone including assignees in these areas have no choice but to relocate. Enterprises involving hazardous chemicals need to identify its own major hazardous sources, as per the standard, and carry out safety evaluation of major sources of risk. The scale of damage is hard to fathom. [66], Immediately following the blasts, the company website was taken down, fuelling suspicions that an attempt was being made to shield owners with powerful political connections. [41][47][49], The Chinese public security minister threatened severe punishment for those found to be responsible for the explosions. The NFPA, in accordance with the recommendations, subsequently announced an updated "NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code, 2016 edition" in 2015. Strictly ensure that ammonium nitrate is not contaminated by other combustible / flammable materials, Report the storage of ammonium nitrate to the local fire department, Access to the warehouse must be controlled and only authorized persons may have access. The leader of the conservative bloc in the European Parliament says his party will not cooperate with the far-right Alternative for Germany but is willing to work with Italys far-right premier to curb migration. Shocking Images From The Tianjin Explosions - All That's Interesting [68][69] Willy Lam, professor at CUHK and senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, noted the highly unusual period of four days it took for Li Keqiang to make an official visit, suggesting that the lack of a top-ranking visitor to a major disaster site within forty-eight hours despite the proximity to Beijing reflected "division among the leadership on who should be the fall guy. China has also ordered a nationwide check on dangerous chemicals and explosives. Calcium carbide, known to be at the site, reacts with water to create the highly explosive acetylene. AIRINC archive photo: A bird's-eye view of the Beirut downtown, north of Hamra Street. Death Toll in Tianjin Blast Soars Past 50, Dozens Injured. [15] The buildings of seven more surrounding logistics companies were destroyed,[36] and large quantities of intermodal container stacks were toppled and thrown by the forces of the explosions. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. A gas explosion and the partial building collapse, left some people missing and others injured. [21][22][23] The total energy release was equivalent to 28 tonnes of TNT, or 100GJ. [4], One month after the explosion, official reports listed 173 deaths and 797 injuries. What happened? We empower companies to deploy global talent by leveraging high quality-data, decision-making tools, and thought-leading advice. Support our mission by making a gift today. This accident has caused concerns among the general public surrounding the use of hazardous chemicals. [26][27] According to the Tianjin government, more than 700 people were injured by the explosion,[28] many with extensive injuries, mostly from burns and explosive blast injuries.
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