China to inspect dangerous chemicals after Tianjin blasts

BEIJING - China will roll out a nationwide examination of dangerous chemicals and explosives after the deadly explosions in North China's Tianjin municipality.

The State Council, China's cabinet, issued an emergency notice on Friday, in which it asked governments at all levels to reinforce the safety management on dangerous chemicals and explosives, strictly control the access threshold for industrial projects on these materials, and firmly implement special regulatory measures for highly toxic chemicals such as cyanide, as well as inflammable and explosive materials.

The cabinet also urged governments at all levels to learn bitter lessons from the two massive blasts, and to crack down unwaveringly on illegal activities to ensure safety.

The warehouse blasts, which occurred late Wednesday night, killed at least 56 people, including 21 firefighters. A total of 721 were injured, of whom 25 are still in critical condition. The cause is being investigated.

The warehouse was owned by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd., which was founded in 2011 and is a storage and distribution center of containers of dangerous goods at the Tianjin Port.