Many firefighters missing; rescue efforts underway

Seventeen firefighters were among the 50 people killed in the warehouse blasts in the northern Chinese port of Tianjin, authorities said on Thursday.

More than 30 firefighters were still missing, most of them in their 20s or 30s, according to the rescue headquarters in Tianjin.

The initial explosion, at a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals, at about 11:20 pm on Wednesday was followed by a number of smaller blasts. About 700 people were injured, 70 of them seriously.