Putin sends condolences to China over Tianjin blasts fatalities and destruction
MOSCOW. Aug 13 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended his condolences to China's President Xi Jinping in response to the multiple fatalities and major destruction caused by explosions at warehouses in China's northern port city of Tianjun, the Kremlin press service has reported.
"Putin has offered his words of sympathy and support to the victims' families and friends and has wished a speedy recovery to those injured," it said.
Forty-four people are now known to have died in the Tianjin blasts. As many as 520 people remain in hospitals, including 66 in a critical condition. Doctors said earlier that hospitals were treating people injured mainly by shards of glass and stones.
More than 400 people were injured in the explosions.
The first blast ripped through the Ruihai company's warehouses storing dangerous and flammable goods in the city's Binhai district late on Wednesday evening. The Zhongguo Qingnian Bao newspaper said that the information available to it indicates that this warehouse could have been storing chemicals containing cyan and cyanic acid, which are dangerous for humans.
The second explosion occurred a mere 30 seconds after the first one, to be followed by smaller explosions, possibly caused by detonated ammunition stored at the port. Local media reported, citing Chinese experts, that the overall magnitude of the explosions could have exceeded the equivalent of 20 tonnes of TNT.
Tianjin is a major port and industrial area in the north of China handling a wide variety of types of cargo, including iron ore, oil and automobiles.
