It’s been a week since the deadly Tianjin explosions occurred, and the cause remains unknown. According to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate has announced that it will intervene in the investigation to speed up the process.
The deadly blasts in the port city located in northern China reportedly caused the demise of approximately 114 people, while around 700 people were injured and currently in the hospital, and 70 people are still missing.
Local officials are experiencing great pressure from the public ever since the explosions occurred. To pacify the Chinese public, a member of the city government attended a press conference on Aug. 17 to confirm the number of deaths, injured people, as well as individuals who are still missing. The appearance did little to lower concern from the audience or various media outlets.
Forecast inclement weather has also increased worries among locals, believing that the rainwater will help spread chemical pollution throughout the city and into other areas.
Sodium cyanide, which was known to be at the site of the explosion, has also caused concern due to the possibility that it will release hydrogen cyanide, a highly toxic chemical.
Bao Jingling, the chief engineer of Tianjin's environmental department, tried to appease the public, reporting that cyanide levels within the area remain at 24.7 times the normal level.
Leading officials and party members have yet to attend the press conferences set up by Tianjin's city government, which has only been attended by city environmental and publicity officials.
Speculation about the state media's alleged cover-up of the Tianjin explosions were also rampant. An opinion piece published in a state-run media outlet on Monday, Aug. 18, denied such allegations.