“You disregard your own safety and ignore any danger - you are patron saints of the city”, Premier Li Keqiang told soldiers and firefighters taking part in search and rescue efforts at the site of the blast in Tianjin on Aug 16.
Premier Li Keqiang spoke with an injured migrant worker at a temporary shelter in Tianjin on the afternoon of Aug 16, and asked questions such as “Where are you from?”, “How exactly were you hurt?” and “Have you got any news about your friends?”
“This is a blast involving hazardous chemicals, so no one can promise that the air is harmless to nearby residents, only data will give us that assurance,” Premier Li Keqiang said while inspecting the blast site in Tianjin on Aug 16.
Chinese Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun ordered authorities Sunday to release information concerning the Tianjin blasts and rescue operation in a timely and transparent manner, to respond to public concerns.
Seventy soldiers, specialist in chemical warfare, in heavy uniforms entered the core area of the blasts site on Saturday morning to search for survivors.
Energy watchdog demanded safety checks on facilities that involve dangerous chemicals or explosives after the deadly Tianjin blasts.
Twenty-four of the 112 bodies are identified and 88 others will need DNA testing. Another 95 people remain missing, including 85 firefighters.
No evacuation order has been issued to people living in a three-kilometer radius near the blasts site in Tianjin, said an official on Saturday.
More than 360 social media accounts have been suspended or shutdown for spreading rumors after explosions in Tianjin on Wednesday.
At least 21 firefighters have died in the line of duty as of Friday afternoon after two massive explosions, on Wednesday, ripped through a warehouse in northern Chinese port city of Tianjin.
Specialized anti-chemical soldiers rescued a man just 50 meters away from a burst point at the Tianjin blasts site on Saturday afternoon.