Military sends chemical specialists to blast site, death toll rises to 50

Medical staff transport a person injured from the explosion of the Binhai New Area to a hospital affiliated with the college of armed police force in Tianjin, North China, Aug 13, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

[Casualties]
As of 7:20 pm, the death toll has risen to 50, including 17 firefighters, most of whom are post-90s. About 701 people have been admitted to hospital, among whom 71 are severely injured.

Six firefighters killed on duty have been identified, and another 66 wounded have been hospitalized.

Doctors say most of the patients suffered burns, bruises, bone fractures and injuries related to shockwaves.

The fire brigade stand ready to evacuate local residents from a blast site in Tianjin, Aug 13, 2015. [Photo/IC]

[Search and rescue]
The country's top health authority is providing a medical response. Medics specializing in blast injuries and burns have arrived from Beijing and are treating the wounded.

Hundreds of volunteers are rushing to hospitals for blood donation, and taxi drivers and private car owners offered help to transport the wounded to hospitals. Besides the 15 donation centers in Tianjin, donations from neighboring areas have been transferred to the city.

Specialized anti-chemical warfare troops have joined the operation. Special masks are worn by members of the rescue team as it has not yet been confirmed whether the dangerous chemicals contain highly toxic cyanide.

Tianjin Fire Department says the fire is contained but it will take a long time to fully extinguish it due to the complex composition of chemical elements. No more explosions are expected.

The Aviation Industry Corp. of China conducted two aerial surveys and relayed detailed information of the blast scene to the team on the ground, and Sinopec Tianjin Co. despatched its fire prevention branch to the scene.

The State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Co. sent its emergency first-response team to assist with emergency power supply and Sinopharm provided medicine for the injured, said the SASAC.

In addition, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom all conducted emergency repairs to maintain lines of communication, said the SASAC.