15 August 2015, 06:57 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A highly toxic substance could be present at the site of recent warehouse blasts in China's northeastern city of Tianjin, the deputy director of local work safety watchdog said Saturday.
According to Xinhua news agency, vice head of the Tianjin administrative bureau of work safety Gao Huaiyou said at a press conference that the toxic inorganic chemicals stored in the warehouse could include sodium cyanide.
The official stated, however, that a further confirmation was needed to find out how much sodium cyanide was in storage at the time of the explosions, the news agency added.
According to the earlier media reports, Rui Hai Logistics, the company that owns the warehouse, had nearly 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide stored at the facility.
According to Xinhua, some other toxic chemicals could be stored in the warehouse including potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate.
Earlier in the day, the Chinese authorities initiated the evacuation of the residents within a 1.1-mile range of the explosion site in Tianjin, as new small explosions occurred at the site of Wednesday powerful blasts.
