Several factors hindering move to identify chemicals: Officials

The dangerous chemicals stored in the warehouses that exploded on Wednesday night in Tianjin Port have not been identified even after more than 30 hours after the incident due to several reasons.

Some of the chemicals were stored in the warehouses only temporarily and were expected to be transported after declaring customs, so it is difficult to get accurate information about them, authorities said at a press conference on Friday, adding that the offices of the warehouses owner, Ruihai Logistics, were so severely damaged that it is hard to get a list as to the category and quantities of the goods stored in the exploded warehouses, and that the information provided by the senior managers of the company does not add up.

According to its business permit, Ruihai Logistics is allowed to store a wide range of dangerous chemicals, including potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, sodium cyanide and methylbenzene

Six senior managers of Ruihai Logistics have been taken under control, including Li Liang, the board chairman, and Zhi Feng, the legal representative and general manger.

Ruihai Logistics was given approval to transform its warehouses from storing ordinary goods into storing dangerous chemicals, said Gao Huaiyou, deputy director of Tianjin Administration of Work Safety.