Death toll from Tianjin blasts rises to 135

The death toll from huge explosions in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin nearly two weeks ago has risen to 135, officials said Tuesday.

A total of 38 people were missing and 582 were still in hospital, a total of 36 of them in critical or serious condition, local officials announced on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.

The explosions at a hazardous goods storage facility on August 12 created a giant fireball and new blazes broke out as recently as last Friday.

They have sparked fears of toxic pollutants contaminating the air and water of the city of about 15 million people about a two-hour drive southeast of Beijing.

China's powerful State Council, or cabinet, has vowed to conduct a "rigorous" investigation into the cause of the explosions, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.