China arrests 12 as Tianjin blasts toll rises to 145

Beijing, August 27 

China has arrested 12 people, including top executives of a warehouse, in connection with the twin blasts in Tianjin as authorities intensified a probe against 11 officials for alleged dereliction of duty in the country’s worst industrial disaster that claimed 145 lives.

The arrested people include chairman of Tianjin International Ruihai Logistics Co Ltd chairman Yu Xuewei, vice-chairman Dong Shexuan and its three deputy general managers who were “criminally detained”.

The death toll from the Tianjin warehouse explosions today rose to 145 with 28 others still missing, Xinhua news agency reported.

China’s cabinet has promised a rigorous and thorough investigation into the deadly blasts that ripped through a warehouse on August 12 in the northern port city of Tianjin where hundreds of tonnes of toxic chemicals were stored, including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide.

Five teams deployed by the State Council have been assigned to investigate the cause, accountability and institutional loopholes that led to the fatal explosions. — PTI