Rescue work continues at Tianjin blast site

AUGUST 21 (Reuters) — Rescue work continued on Thursday in the central zone of last week’s blasts in north China’s Tianjin Municipality, while a cyanide producer sent teams to help clean up the site.

To determine whether it was safe to carry out the clean-up operation, a chemical defense troop retrieved and tested samples from the site.

A cyanide producer that supplied 700 tons of the cyanide involved in the blasts sent 140 people to assist with the clean-up work.

They worked in three teams to retrieve about 150 tons of cyanide scattered around the blast site and transport it back to the producer in Shijiazhuang, capital city of north China’s Hebei Province. The rest will follow, according to the cyanide producer.

Two deadly blasts at a toxic chemicals warehouse in Tianjin leveled most parts of the warehouse to the ground. Chemicals were scattered around the warehouse by the blast.

A clean-up team from the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force have been carrying out test work for several days. They were equipped with protective clothing, 80 sets of large machines and vehicles.