BEIJING — Last Wednesday night, 25 members of the fifth company
of the Tianjin Port Group fire department rushed to the site of an
explosion.
They were mostly young men, some just new-in-town teenagers. Eleven
hailed from the same county in Hebei province, at least two from the
same small town.
None made it out.
Now, almost a week after the massive, chemical-fueled blasts that left
more than 100 dead and dozens missing, the fate of these young contract
firefighters has become a focal point in a story that has gripped China
and sent authorities scrambling to stay ahead of mounting public rage.
Chinese officials have yet to say conclusively what caused the blasts
but have acknowledged that there were dozens of types of chemicals on
site, including a reported 700 tons of sodium cyanide, 800 tons of
ammonium nitrate and 500 tons of potassium nitrate.
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