China's State Council has ordered the suspension of fire-fighting operations in Tianjin until it becomes clear, what kind of flammable materials are feeding the blaze. [Special coverage]
The investigation team of the State Council added that these operations would resume once a specific plan was made. For the moment, it is not clear what explosives are stored in the warehouse and in what quantity. Roads in the surrounding areas have been blocked off and light rail services have been suspended.
So far there is confirmation of 17 fatalities and over 400 injured. The port city was rocked on Wednesday night by two explosions just 30 seconds apart in an industrial zone. Plumes of smoke reached into the sky over dozens of meters high.
The blast wave was felt in surrounding areas, much of which are under construction residential and office buildings. Tianjin's fire department says 11 firefighters have been killed and 36 others missing. The injured are being treated in nearby hospitals. The Beijing fire department has sent two drones and eight firefighters to the site to help with firefighting operations.
