Poisonous Cyanide Found In Tianjin's Water Samples

By Niam Seet Wei BEIJING, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Water samples collected near Tianjin, the Chinese port city which was struck by deadly blasts on Wednesday night, have been found to contain a very small amount of highly toxic cyanide, say Chinese environmental authorities. The amount of cyanide detected from the 194 water samples would not pose a threat to the marine environment for the time being, Xinhua news agency quoted the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) as saying, Monday. Earlier, reports said Tianjin environmental officials believed some 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide were being stored at the warehouse where the explosions occurred, in which most of the dangerous chemicals remained "unaffected". Xinhua said Tianjin vice-mayor, He Shushan had reassured most of the sodium cyanide at the blast site would be collected and cleared by this evening as there were fears the forecast rain could release more toxic gas from the sodium cyanide. Meanwhile, about a hundred Tianjin residents whose home were destroyed by the blasts had demanded the government buy back their ruined property, local daily, the Beijing News reported. The furious residents who stay less than 1km from the explosion site claimed they were unaware of the danger posed to their homes as the house purchase contracts they signed only stated the residents might be irritated by noise pollution created by the port. Many had expressed concerns over the mortgages and the repair costs of their damaged homes. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the blast site on Sunday and urged a thorough investigation to be carried out into the incident, China Daily reported Sunday. The death toll in the Tianjin blasts has climbed to 114 people, six days after the massive explosions struck the Chinese port city about 11.30pm Wednesday. About 70 people remain missing. The cause of the blasts still remain unknown. --BERNAMA