44 dead, over 500 injured, after blast rocks busy Chinese port (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

Two blasts shook the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin late on Wednesday. Some 500 people have been injured, and 44 are dead, according to the latest report by Xinhua news agency.

A total of nine firefighters have been confirmed dead, according to Chinese state television. It is unclear if that number is included in the total death toll. Authorities have reportedly lost contact with 36 other firefighters, according to Beijing News.

Thirty-two people remain in critical condition, according to China’s state broadcaster, CCTV. Hundreds of others are being transported to hospitals.  

Many of the injuries being treated at the hospital are from broken glass or stones, Lu Yun, head of the nearby Taida Hospital, told the Xinhua News Agency.

The National Earthquake Bureau said there were two large explosions before midnight, the first equivalent to 3 tons of TNT, and the second equivalent to 21 tons.

Firefighters have suspended their efforts at the scene, citing questions about the warehouse’s contents and the quantity of “dangerous goods” it might contain, local government said in a statement on Thursday.

The Ministry of Public Security sent 12 teams to the site following reports of the fire. It then dispatched another nine teams and 35 fire engines following the sound of the explosion. 

#tianjin surveillance camera records the moment explosion smashed glass. pic.twitter.com/MZioqYNXtG

— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) August 12, 2015

The blast had erupted from a shipment of explosives in a key industrial zone in Binhai New Area at about 11:30 pm local time (3:30 pm GMT), state broadcaster China Central Television said. The initial blast triggered a suspected petrol explosion in an adjacent reservoir.

Images released by state media showed evacuated people running in the streets.

The blast wave shattered windows in nearby offices and apartment blocks, and the impact was felt up to 10 km away.

So sad… At least 6 firemen killed in #Tianjin deadly blast, bodies taken out by comrades, survivors fight in tears pic.twitter.com/RPYDQeJ8VA

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 13, 2015

“All of a sudden there was a flash of big red light, and a big sound. And 10 seconds afterwards, there was a big wave,” the South China Morning Post cited one online user.

With a rapidly-expanding population of more than 11.5 million people, Tianjin is designated as one of China's five national cities, and is a major industrial and transport hub.

Cars burnt out near the site of huge explosions in China's #Tianjin (Pics: Beijing Youth Daily) pic.twitter.com/0r0YDIE9x7

— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) August 13, 2015