The blasts had created enough smoke to be spotted by a NASA satellite passing overhead. The blasts were also large enough to have been detected by earthquake detectors. The first blast, which was smaller, was determined to be equivalent to about three tons of TNT, and the second blast, which was believed to have been set off by the first one, was equivalent to 22 tons of TNT.
The blasts were thought to be caused by the presence of hazardous chemicals in the warehouse, and possibly also by the water from the firehoses. Nine firemen are included among the dead.
The blasts took place at warehouses in the large seaport there in Tianjin. The blasts produced massive fireballs which destroyed more than 1,000 new cars in a nearby parking lot, and blew out windows more than one mile away.
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Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/tianjin-explosions-seen-space-photo-203217821.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/15/asia/china-tianjin-explosions/index.html
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Graphics: Mine
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Keywords: Tianjin, blasts, injured, dead, fire, warehouses