44 killed, 521 hospitalized in massive Tianjin blasts

The death toll from massive warehouse blasts in the northern Chinese port of Tianjin rose to 44, including 12 firefighters, emergency personnel continue to battle flames still blazing at the blast site.

A total of 521 people have been hospitalized, including 52 critically injured, according to the rescue headquarters.

"It was like a bomb that just exploded," said Zhang Shiyi, a worker who stayed in a residential building close to the blasted warehouse.

"A huge air blast pushed me back to the room. I tried to leave but was knocked down by another air blast," Zhang said.

He injured his arms and legs.

Xu Yun, living about 1.5 kilometers from the warehouse, was cleaning up her daughter's birthday party when the warehouse exploded.8 "A big fireball," she said.

Xu took her daughter and dashed out of her home. She kept running to a nearby park.

"People cried for help all the time and many rushed to the streets in their pajamas," Xu said.

At the Tianjin No.5 Hospital, a man who requested anonymity said his wife remained in intensive care after she hit her head on a door during the blast.

An automobile store located about three kilometers away from the warehouse was destroyed. Its roof was blown off and glasses shattered.

Broken glass from shattered windows litter the ground outside a nearby apartment building. Stepping inside reveals crumbled balconies, twisted windows and blood-stained floors.

The Tianjin fire brigade sent 1,000 firefighters and 151 fire engines to the warehouse, which contained dangerous goods. The volatility of the goods has made the fire unpredictable and dangerous to approach.

Firefighters told Xinhua that the road leading to the blaze remains blocked, limiting their efforts to spraying dry powder and foam from a distance. Armed police are also standing by at the site.

A firefighter told Xinhua that a dozen fire engines arrived at the site, and more firemen will extinguish flames and help search and rescue efforts.

Xinhua reporters saw at least 200 armed police officers around the warehouse.

Lu Yun, head of Teda Hospital, which admitted about 150 injured people, told Xinhua that most of the injuries were from broken glass or stones. Some of the injuries are serious.

A list of injured people admitted to the hospital obtained by Xinhua shows 38 patients ranging from 19 to 63 years old were being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit and osteology, neurology, surgery and other departments as of 9:00 a.m. Thursday.

About 1,000 medical workers from 10 hospitals are treating the wounded across the city.

Schools and other sites near the warehouses opened on Thursday to help the injured. An aquarium further away also offered its service center, washrooms and parking lot to the public around the clock through the end of this week for aid distribution and blood donations.

A total of 3,500 people have been relocated to 10 nearby schools, Zhang Yong, head of the Binhai district government said at a press conference.

The number will reach to 6,000 by Thursday night, Zhang said.

Daily necessities including water and food, together with 800 folding beds and 1,600 towels have been allocated to the relocation sites.

Rail links connecting downtown Tianjin to the Binhai New Area were suspended after shockwaves from the blast damaged the Donghai Road Terminal.

The office building of Chinese supercomputer Tianhe-1, one of the world's fastest supercomputers, suffered damage. Sources at Tianhe-1 told Xinhua the computer is not damaged, but they have shut down some of its operations as a precaution.

Tianhe-1 provides data services to more than 300 organizations across China, including several universities and banks.

Volunteers have arrived at hospitals for blood donation, and taxi drivers and private car owners offered help to transport the wounded to hospitals. Several hotels have provided free accommodation to residents displaced by the blast.