Tianjin blasts death toll rises to 139

The death toll from the Tianjin warehouse explosions two weeks ago has risen to 139, and 34 others remain missing, rescue authorities said on Wednesday.

The figures announced on Tuesday were 135 deaths with 38 missing. The update means four of the 38 missing have been confirmed dead.

All the dead have been identified, including 84 firefighters, eight policemen and 47 other people. The missing people include 20 firefighters, three policemen and 11 others.

Meanwhile, 527 people remain hospitalized, 34 of them in serious condition. A total of 272 injured people have been discharged from hospital.

Two blasts ripped through a warehouse in Tianjin Port where large amounts of toxic chemicals were stored, including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide, at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.

Environmental monitoring showed no excessive levels of pollutants in the air outside the exclusion zone set up around the blast site through Tuesday.

However, excessive levels of cyanide were detected from water samples from six monitoring locations inside the exclusion zone, with the worst about 32 times the level officially regarded as safe.

In addition, cyanide was found in two seawater monitoring locations, but the levels were safe.

No cyanide was detected in groundwater near the blast site.