CHINA TOPIX

03/29/2024 02:47:45 am

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Another Chemical Warehouse Blast Occurs in Tianjin Two Months After Explosions Killed 173

Tianjin Warehouse Explosion

(Photo : REUTERS/Stringer) Smoke rises as damaged vehicles are seen burning at the Tianjin port after a twin explosion in August. Another blast ripped through a warehouse in the same city on Monday night.

A warehouse filled with alcoholic and chemical materials caught fire and exploded in Tianjin on Monday night. No casualties have been reported thus far. The incident happened just two months after twin blasts at the Tianjin warehouse left more 170 people dead.

The latest Tianjin blast occurred around 9:40 p.m. on Monday at a warehouse, which investigators say violated rent regulations. Firefighters were able to quell the fire at 2:33 a.m. on Tuesday morning after it raged for several hours.

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The incident occurred at the Beichen district, which is close to Tianjin's urban hub.

The warehouse is reportedly owned by a company registered in the Tianjin municipality. The company - Tianjin Yong Sheng Fine Chemical Co. Ltd - rented the private 700-square-meter warehouse located in the suburb from a local villager.

The warehouse reportedly stored about 3,000 kilograms of alcohol, 1,000 kilograms of acetic acid, 500 kilograms of sodium hydroxide, 500 kilograms of potassium hydroxide and 800 kilograms of glycerinum.

Officials from the district's environment protection bureau said the flame may have been triggered by the mixture of inflammable chemicals.

Officials say such chemical warehouses are required to be registered with the government. However, the owners of the company refused to do so.

CCTV reported that two people have been arrested for illegally using the warehouse to store chemicals illegally.

Authorities are conducting further investigations into the cause of the blast. Preliminary investigations into the standard of air in the warehouse found four milligrams per cubic meter of carbon monoxide in the facility.

According to Xinhua, no trace of ammonia or hydrothion was detected in the warehouse.

On Tuesday morning, the explosion was trending on Sina Weibo. Many users of the social media site posted pictures of the flames. The Tianjin warehouse explosion in August has raised questions about the enforcement of safety regulations in China.

The Tianjin port explosions in August were reportedly triggered by the improper storage of dangerous chemicals. It took nearly 100 firefighters to bring the flame under control.

Investigations into the deadly incident revealed that the warehouse, owned by Ruihai International Logistics, was used to store more dangerous chemicals than the law authorized. There chemicals included 700 tons of sodium cyanide and other equally chemicals. Investigators said the warehouse was located within close proximity to a residential area - another violation of the law.

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