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New blast reported to hit warehouse in China’s Tianjin

The death toll in the series of explosions already reached 114 people

The causes of the accident have not been identified yet. Photo: Dormitory destroyed by the shockwave of a nearby explosion n the northeastern China's Tianjin municipality AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

The causes of the accident have not been identified yet. Photo: Dormitory destroyed by the shockwave of a nearby explosion n the northeastern China's Tianjin municipality

© AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

BEIJING, August 17. /TASS/. Another powerful blast was reported on Monday near the warehouse China’s northern port city of Tianjin, which was rocked by a series of explosions since last week, the Chinese Central Television (CCTV) reported.

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Aftermath of explosions in northeastern China's Tianjin

According to CCTV, a white smoke emerged soon after the new explosion and evacuation was ordered for military servicemen deployed near the scene of the accident.

A powerful explosion rocked a warehouse storing chemical goods around midnight on August 12. Another major explosion followed as firefighters worked at the scene. Eyewitnesses claimed that the blast shattered windows in buildings within a two-kilometer perimeter, while more than 5,000 cars burned down.

Over a thousand of firefighters are battling the fire in Tianjin. More than 1,500 military servicemen were sent to the scene to provide assistance.

The death toll in the series of explosions already reached 114

people, Chinese media reported on Sunday. On Saturday, rescuers recovered 10 more bodies of those killed in powerful blasts that struck the city on Wednesday. Ninety-five people are still missing, including 85 firefighters, the media said.

A full-scale search and rescue operation is underway at the sight of the explosion. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection said that cyanide and other hazardous highly toxic chemicals were found at the site of the explosion. According to the ministry, a level of cyanide exceeded the norm by eight times in one of drain pipes in the emergency area.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing condolences over the tragedy in Tianjin. Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov offered assistance to China’s social security minister in dealing with the aftermath of the explosions.

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