Massive Explosion in Chinese Port of Tianjin

videos made by 6 witnesses

The massive explosions in China's northern city of Tianjin are now known to have killed at least 50 people.

More than 700 have been injured and hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of casualties.

The blasts, at a warehouse storing toxic chemicals, destroyed tower blocks and burned out thousands of cars. The fireball could be seen from space.

Twelve firefighters are among those who lost their lives; 36 of their colleagues are still missing.

READ MORE: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33900268

CCTV

Attachments:

Massive Explosion 8-12-2015.kmz (1.19 KB)

The drone footage shows your location to be correct.

One report states that 700 tons of sodium cyanide had been stored in the warehouse where the explosion occurred, (Source) and that 10 hospitals are treating patients.  


Above: Image released by Japan Meteorological Agency. The white dot in the centre is apparently the explosion, visible from space.

Sodium cyanide is used primarily in the gold mining industry. "Niche uses: Being highly toxic, sodium cyanide is used to kill or stun rapidly such as in widely illegal cyanide fishing and in collecting jars used by entomologists."

The drone footage shows your location to be correct.

Thanks. Actually, I had added that video to my placemark, so I was pretty sure I was in the correct place. By the time I had finished the placemark, the BBC site that I quoted from and linked to added the image below, which cinched the deal.

Video of the aftermath, apparently just after dawn. From this site, which also shows two interactive before & after Skybox/Google images.

Before and after KMZ overlays of the blast site can be downloaded from Google Crisis Response: plus.google.com/+googlecrisisresponse/posts/6amozupWTxj

Thanks to Sue Bunch (BeadieJay) who posted the link on Google +.

After Overlay

just now I have bumped into this one, checked archive GE imagery*, still I sit jaws dropped... it is insane! 
in a 2-300 meters distance from the center of the explosion cargo containers were thrown 30 meters away..., total destruction!

*set your GE time-slider to 5/7/2015, then -with two quick clicks- jump to 8/22/2015 (some 10 days after the disaster)

moving forward in time also we can see the recontruction of the site as it became a nice, green (memorial?) park.

...

p.s. to mods and admins:

sub-board title should be altered as "Current Events and Aftermaths" ...(: (!?)

Some things need a bump, syzygy. That's quite a sight. Imagine how much merchandise was in those containers.
It's good to start at 5/6/2015 and compare to the destruction on 8/21/2018.   I am really surprised that there aren't
a lot of photos of it.