INTERNATIONAL
The death toll from massive explosions in Chinas port city of Tianjin has risen to 112 and 95 people are missing, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, suggesting the toll could rise significantly.
Eighty-five of the missing from Wednesdays disaster are fire fighters.
President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged authorities to improve safety and learn lessons paid for with blood.
China evacuated residents who had taken refuge in a school near the site of the blasts on Saturday after a change in wind direction prompted fears that toxic chemical particles could be blown inland.
It was not clear from media reports how many people were evacuated, but the order came as a fire broke out again at the blast site, a warehouse specially designed to store dangerous chemicals, according to Xinhua. It was also not immediately clear if that threat of toxic pollution persisted on Sunday.
Evacuees were advised to wear long trousers and face masks as they evacuated in an orderly fashion, according to a post on the official microblog of the Tianjin branch of the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China. The streets appeared calm.
But not all was clear amid emotional scenes as families of missing fire fighters sought answers about their loved ones and officials tried to keep media cameras away. Gong Jiansheng, a district official, told reporters there had been no evacuation.
In one piece of encouraging news, a 50-year-old man was rescued 50 metres away from the blast zone, Xinhua said. The man was suffering from a burnt respiratory tract but was in a stable condition after surviving three days in a shipping container, the official China Central Television (CCTV) and Xinhua said.
Chinese police confirmed for the first time the presence of deadly sodium cyanide at the site of the blast as a series of new, small explosions were heard and small fires broke out.
Police confirmed the presence of the chemical, fatal when ingested or inhaled, roughly east of the blast site, the state-run Beijing News said.
It did not say how much had been found or how great a risk it posed but residents expressed concern about the air and water.
I do feel a bit afraid, said construction worker Li Shulan, 49, when asked about the air quality. It definitely doesnt feel good. As you can see our boss is making us wear masks.
An area three km (two miles) from the blast site was cordoned off, the Beijing News said.
No cyanide had been found in the ocean surrounding the port, said the State Oceanic Administration of China in a post on its official website. At an afternoon news conference, officials declined to discuss pollution concerns, referring journalists to other departments.
There were about seven small explosions in the area on Saturday, according to a post on the micro-blog of CCTV. A fresh blaze ignited cars in a parking lot next to the blast site. The cause was not immediately clear. State media carried reports of other fires in the area.
A retired environmental official earlier told reporters that air pollution posed no risk. Harmful substances could not be detected in the air from 17 monitors placed around the city, he said.
