adrian brown, al jazeera, tianjin. >> so what is sodium cyanide? it's using in mining to extract gold from ore used for electroplating and hardening metals. dissolved or burned, it releases a highly poison gas, hydrogen cyani cyanide. about 700 tons of the chemical compound was being stored we understand. that's 70 times more than the center was permitted to hold. we're off to england where a chemical weapons expert joins us via skype. let's clear it up, first of all. this cyanide is not the cyanide that we see in spy movies that people pop in their mouths and bite on to stop from having to tell the truth? >> well, not entirely, however it is a derivative of it. as in the piece just said, one of the huge concerns with sodium cyanide is it reacts with other assets to create sodium cyanide, which is cast as a chemical war fare agent. it was a key weapon and the other name is zyclene-b to extend to thousands and millions in the second world war. sodium cyanide is a very, very toxic powder that can be rapidly fatal if inhaled or ingested. >> you say it

the lethal chemical sodium cyanide was stored here. there was an added added urgenco the search as the toll of missing and dead continues to rise, along with the anger of the families of the missing and those made homeless. they continue to protest outside a hotel where officials were briefing journalists. >> we want them to tell us the truth and help us find a proper home. >> what we need most now is for the government to take care of us and keep us informed. >> reporter: the government still doesn't know what caused wednesday night's explosions but now admit sodium cyanide has been found at two locations but insist the readings in the air are safe per those outside the exclusion zone. >> if you are outside the two kilometer zone, these be ins should be within normal standards. this should not have any affect on people's lives. >> reporter: gas masks are now the most precious dmoddity in tianjin and they don't protect from sodium cyanide. >> this is not professional. yoafn, i don't think it can do that jooshts china's well-oiled volun

the government has now confirmed the lethal chemical sodium cyanide was stored here. there was an added urgency to the search for survivors on sunday as the toll for the dead and missing continue to rise. along with the anger among families of the missing, and those made homeless. for the second day they attempted to protest outside of a hotel where government officials were briefing journalists. >> translator: we want the government to tell us the truth and help us find a proper home. >> translator: what we need most now is for the government to take care of us and to keep us informed. >> reporter: the government still doesn't know what caused wednesday night's mults pell explosions, but officials now admit that sodium cyanide has been identified at two locations yet insist their readings show the air is safe for those outside the exclusion zone. >> translator: if you are outside of the 2-kilometer zone, these numbers should be within normal standards. this should not have any effect on people's lives. >> reporter: gas masks are now the most precious commodities in t

it may have helped 700 tons of sodium cyanide and is a possible violation of safety rules.ine: the reaction on the ground has been, how do you describe it, fears? clement: some residents are demanding compensation, compensation from the government. they are calling on the government to buy back their homes. authoritiesn port have said that operations are kind of back to normal, with vessel movements back to levels before the blast. more: do we know any details about the actual cause, the initial causes of this disaster? clement: the officials have respondershat first didn't know what they were dealing with. they used water and it actually made the whole fire worse. but with lee catch on visiting the -- with lee catch i visiting iang visiting the site, it has made it more transparent. what remains to the scene, what that means, and officials also have evacuated a two-mile radius of residents from around there. lots of questions being raised on safety issues. there were also residents living a little too close to the site of the explosion. the safety questions, rules being fo

it is feared that rainwater could react with bleach sodium cyanide and i could potentially release more toxic gases into the local environment. nearly a week after the deadly blast, the much dreaded rain is finally falling over tianjin. the weather is complication cleanup efforts -- complicating cleanup efforts. the blast exposed to dangerous chemicals, including some that could become flammable on contact with water, like sodium cyanide. about 700 tons of it were being stored in a warehouse that exploded. >> with regards to the safety levels in total, there are 29 sinai inspection sites -- sinai inspection sites. of them from eight of them exceeded safety levels. all were in the blast site. outside the blast sites, there were 14 inspection sites and none have exceeded safety levels. reporter: chemicals could also contaminate the city's water or evaporate and pollute the air. but authorities say they are prepared to face heavy rain. they have built a dam around the blast site to prevent any leaks and have drained the area to make space for rainwater. they also said they were closely mon

. >>> state media have reported 700 tons of sodium cyanide were in the warehouse that was destroyed in those multiple explosions but today the government said it was slightly less than 100. >> just talk us through again why the authorities think the death toll will actually go higher. >>> it is though, still waiting. >>> there have been desperate scenes in macedoni where hundreds of migrants have been traying to board a train. there wasn't enough room for everyone and migrants tried to pull others off to secure a face. the train was heading to serbia which borders hungary. >>> in iraq, at least 21 people have been killed in a series of bombings in and around baghdad. it's been targeted many times. the attacks have injured more than 100 people >>> in yemen, pro government forces are making significant progress against houthi >>> according to pro government forces, at least 18 houthi rebels were killed in the battle. the destruction caused by the fighting is clear. almost every building appears to be >>> now who is responsible for maintaining security in the south? it's the society itsel

officials confirmed finding 700 tons of sodium cyanide.east 114 people were killed and 70 are still missing. >>> iraqi prime minister, haider al abadi is cutting his cabinet by one-third. 11 cabinet posts are now gone. mr. al abadi promised to reform the government. meanwhile, former iraqi prime minister, nuri al maliki could face trial. a parliamentary panel wants him and other top officials prosecuted for the isis capture of iraq's second largest city, mosul, last year. as part of reform measures, al maliki has been stripped of his vice president circumstantial post. >> nuri al maliki has been the face of the iraqi government since his first election in 2006. and he's not going to go gently into the night. so to have the current prime minister, haider al abadi and the iraqi council of representatives potentially indict nuri al maliki on charges that he was responsible for the lost of mosul to isis is a huge development and it's one that's going to bear close watching moving forward from here. >> how likely is it that al maliki will ever

up to 700 tons of sodium cyanide was store in warehouses that were destroyed in those explosions. today, the government officials were unable to say exactly how many tons of chemicals were there. we do know that the owner, the operate egoperator of that warea license to store ten tons of sodium cyanide. corners have been cut when it comes to safety. it's shaping up to be one of china's worst industrial accidents. 21 confirmed dead are firemen. the youngest was just 17 years old. atlanta there are uand there ary ill in hospital. the grief is turning to anger. there were many families and many people who have been forced from their homes. they were demanding more help from the government. they have been abandoned. the only assistance is from volunteer groups. they want the government to do more and they want government leaders to come to tianjin. so far no one has done that. >> there seems to be a lack of reliable information coming from the government. >> yeah. there is no reliable narrative. and there hasn't been since day one. and there is a growing feeling, a growing sense that

environmental protection bureau increased the monitoring at the site. >> one of the huge concerns with sodium cyanide is it reacts with fire, water and other assets to create hydrogen cyanide, which is cast as a chemical war fare agent. in many countries women cal warfare stocks and it's a key weapon. it's zyclonb used to exterminate thousands in the second world war. it's the basis of cyanide. it's a toxic powder that's rapidly falths if inhaled our ingested. >>> the crash site of an indonesian plane has been found in the papau region. the trigana airplane lost contact with the air traffic controllers and carried 49 passengers including five children and five crew. the mountainous papau region is covered with dense jungle, and there was bad weather at the time of the plane went missing. villagers reported if it mounted. indonesia's transport minister said they found wreckage, but official confirmation is still needed. >> translator: according to the information the trigana aircraft that lost contact was found at camp 3 in the mountain region. it was provided by the local residents wlosd the flash cr

state run media reports the warehouse was a depository for dangerous chemicals including sodium cyanide, a deadly substance that becomes combustible on contact with water. it is believed firefighters may have triggered the blast after responding to a small fire at the warehouse and dousing the flames. tensions flared as families demanded answers outside a government meeting. i haven't had any contact with my son said this father of a firefighter. more than 100 people killed, many of them firemen. there are miracles among the rubble. this man was found alive today after spending three days clinging to a pole inside a shipping container. jonathan vigliotti, cbs news, london. >> state run media is reporting the warehouse was storing more than 700 tons of sodium cyanide. that is 70 times more than it should have been holding. >>> a tennessee teen thought he wasn't going to make it but he literally pulled a miracle out of his back pocket when siri came to the rescue. >> help me. i'm trapped under my truck. >> you are stuck in your truck? where are you? >> the iphone assistant made that call

the government confirmed sodium cyanide was stood here. there was an added urgency to the search for survivors on this day as the toll for the dead and missing continued to rise. along with the anger among families of the missing, and those made homeless, for the second day they attempted to protest outside a hotel where government officials were briefing journalists. >> translation: we want is to be the truth and help us to find a proper home. >> what is needed most now is for the government to take care of us and keep us informed. >> the government doesn't knew what caused wednesday night's multiple explosions, but officials admit that sodium cyanide has been occurring on two occasions. but the reading is outside on the exclusion zone. >> if you were outside the 2km zone, the numbers should be within normal stance. it should not have effect on people's lives. >> gas masks are the most precious commodity. these are for the military, but there's not enough of them, indeed, if there were, they won't protect from sodium cyanide. >> this is p

were killed in the blasts which were centered at a warehouse storing the highly toxic chemical sodium cyanidee i ca explosions are so strot destroyed homes making people homeless. >> reporter: the protesters who have been gathering outside the hotel where government officials were briefing the local and international media, have not yet disbursed they are still demanding a meeting with government officials. the protesters here comprise relatives and family of those still missing as well as some of the 6,000 people made homeless as a result of wednesday night's multiple explosions. some of them are carrying banners saying we support the party. we support the government. but please by back our homes. our homes are worthless, we can't live them anymore. i spoke for one woman who returned here from the united states to live with her father and she had no idea dangerous chemicals like sodium cyanide were being stored so close to people's home this is what she had to say. >> like now i can't believe it. i can't believe the entire thing. we just thought it was a. [ inaudible ] there was a curse, no

sodium cyanide used in the chinese mining industry, and it can be lethal if it's inhaled.g to state media, it has been detected in the atmosphere, which is why the people who, the families who were staying in this evacuation center have been bussed out of here and they've been taken towards the downtown area, which is considered to be a safe distance away. the reason why these evacuations have happened, we're told, is because of a shift in the wind. and also, there were several explosions that were heard and smoke plumes that were seen rising from the blast site earlier today. we're getting word that there has been a second rescue. a 40-year-old man, according to state media, has been rescued. this is in addition to a 19-year-old firefighter, a young man who was pulled out after surviving for 31 hours, which is really incredible when, you know, you've seen the video by now of the intensity of the explosions. this young man has very severe chest injuries, he has broken ribs, he has a bruised lung, he had air in his chest. but he is expected to be okay, even though he suffer

states to live with her father and she told me they had no idea the dangerous chemicals like sodium cyanidestored so close to people's homes. this is what she had to say. >> i can't believe it. i can't believe the entire thing. we just saw it was like a. [ inaudible ] it was a curse, no chemical there. >> reporter: you had no idea chemicals were being stored there? >> no idea. everyone around there didn't know there were dangerous chemicals storing there. >> reporter: demonstrations like the ones that have been taking place here today are very rare in china. what is different this time also is the fact that the authorities, the police and the soldiers who were here watching over the crowd, have allowed us to interview and film the protesters. now, in the past the authorities have moved very quickly to shutdown demonstrations like this with the media often being round up and briefly did h deta. that has not happened it's as if the authority here have received orders to give the illusion of transparency. but it is a significant moment. for one thing the authorities will worry about is if thes

sodium cyanide becomes flammable when it comes in contact with water. lessons lessons have been learned and emergency workers continue their search for survivors. richard martin. al jazeera >>> the scandal-plagued secret service is set to hire 1,100 new agents in stafford. reuters is reporting that the hirings would take place over the next five years. this comes amid accusations that it cannot adequately protect the white house. the agency has faced scandals and security lapses. last year you probably remember when a private security guard with a loaded gun boarded an elevator with president barack obama. >>> the u.s. territory having problem paying interest on their debt to the u.s. is also facing a severe drought. >>reporter: with water cut off to his house, antonio must go find it. and then haul it back home to his waiting wife. the government has cut off tap water to 400,000 homes. >> this is almost getting close to the most extreme drought event that puerto rico has ever experienced. from the air, you can see the full effects of the drought. less

. >>> it is reported that the toxic chemical sodium cyanide has been found close to the port city.some near the scene are being told to move away. the death toll from the blast has riive to 85 -- ris tone 85. erika wood reports. >> reporter: the site of the explosion, some buildings still burning. officials haven't found what was being stored when it exploded. specialists have been deployed. some people who live near the site are being turned away. >> i just bought some thing and i had to get out of the car they blocked the road. i asked what is going on and they say it's still dangerous inside. you can't enter. >> police officers came over and said everyone on the road has to go over because over there they are going to start the final battle against the fire. >> reporter: the death toll has been rising each day and more than 20 of those killed are firefighters. but many more are still missing and angry family members who have been shut out demand answers. >> we are families of the victims, why do you treat us this way? >> it's already been three days and three nights and i don't

the warehouse may have held as much as 700 tons of sodium cyanide.usinesses have been severely disrupted. apan has raised the eruption morning. the area has been shaken by at least 800 tremors in recent days. people have been advised to be ready to leave. shall i got -- sri lanka votes today. he hopes to become prime minister. analysts suggest the current pm will hang on. over the recovery. the number of tourists have tripled in six years. results are due on tuesday. another disaster hits the aviation sector in indonesia. the latest on the crash. you are watching "trending business. shery: the pboc yuan reference rate was little changed. slightly weaker than the closing figure. the yuan to appreciate -- depreciated last week. sayrts from indonesia wreckage has been found from an airliner that went missing in the easternmost province of papu a. it was carrying 49 passengers and five crew when it lost contact. rain and poor visibility were reported in the area just before the plane was scheduled to land. villagers saw it fly into a mountain. our next g

investigators trying to confirm, the warehouse that exploded may have had 700 tons of sodium cyanide.ed. caroline: indonesian authorities say the wreckage of a plane that went missing with 54 people on board has been spotted. a land search team is now heading to the area to check for survivors. the air flight lost contact with air traffic controllers on sunday afternoon amid cloudy weather. breaking news are just getting at the moment in terms of an order when it comes to airlines. 250 airbus planes being ordered by indigo. check out airbus when it opens this morning. guy: this is the new version of the aircraft, the new engine option. caroline: these are the workhorses. guy: but that order won't be fulfilled for quite some time. they are still in the process of building these aircraft. a huge order, really just highlighting the expansion plans that india has in the aerospace sector. stephen cohen still with us. we were kicking around at the break where you get out performers. european equities suffering last week. you like japan. we are looking at the china fallout. where am i going

sodium cyanide, with storms moving into the area some concerns were raised about the sodium cyanide releasing poisonous cyanide into the air. >>> that's a new push to engage young muslim leaders in the fight against isis. a couple from mississippi was arrested just last week allegedly on their way to syria. now, some private companies are helping fund groups working to counter the social media reach of isis. >> we believe that this is a space for companies to address that need and we see muslim entrepreneurs all over the place trying to do that. >> well, dozens of americans and thousands around the world have reportedly joined the islamic state. many recruited online. >>> some celebrities from mississippi calling for the state to change its flag. that's because the confederate flag makes up part of mississippi's flag along with red, white and blue stripes. jimmy buffett, morgan freeman and archie manning were among 60 celebrities who signed a letter calling for the state to make a change. >>> today, you can let your voice be heard at a city council meeting in gaithersburg. it will address new

. >> it's been reported that where the blast occurred restored 700 tons of sodium cyanide, much more than officially allowed. people near the site have been moved. and specialists have been deployed to the area. erica wood with the latest. >> the site of the explosion, some buildings still burning three days on, and many concerned in what was being stored at this facility when it exploded. a team of nuclear and bio chemical specialists have been deployed to investigate what happened. some people who live nearby the site are now being turned away. >> when i got to roughly number nine street i had to get out of the car because they blocked the road. i asked them what was going on, they said it's still dangerous inside. you cannot enter. >> just now police officers came out and said that everyone on the road has to be over there. over there they're about to start the final battle against the fire. >> the death toll has been rising each day since the blast, and 20 of those have been firefighters. >> many more are still missing and angry family members, who had been shut out of a news con

even if they were, they won't protect from sodium cyanide. >> this is very professional. that would be very special material of protection. i don't think -- i don't know. i don't think this can do that. >> china's well-oiled volunteer machine has now moved in to action. thousands of volunteers have come to the city from all over china, and here, they are handing out water, food, clothing, all of it vitally needed. >> the list for the missing is getting longer. the majority of those yesterday to be found are fire fighters and police. officials say the explosions were so powerful that so far, only a few bodies have been identified. >> adrienne brown, al jazeera in tianjin. >> still ahead on the news hour. >> i was a student and a friend betrayed me. he abused me. after my parents found out, they disowned me. >> stories of report, we report on pakistan's streets. protecting our natural heritage. we follow a trail of suspected poachers in the vast national parks in senegal. in the sport, last season's top two teams get ready to go head to head. details later in the program wi

there were more than 700 tons of a deadly chemical, sodium cyanide, stored at this warehouse. at least 114 people died, another 70 still missing. the cause of the explosion is under investigation still. we're told at least one person who works for that company that owns the warehouse has been arrested. >>> another development at metro to tell you about. following that derailment at the smithsonian station earlier this month. the metro board will meet september 3rd to figure out what to do next. that's a week earlier than originally planned. we told you the metro's general manager has leltionz than -- less than a week to submit a report. he has to answer why it wasn't fixed a month after a problem was noted. >>> 4 things this tuesday morning. thousands of firefighters are waging an all out war on the firefighters out west. how much it is costing taxpayers. live updates in a few minutes on "today." >>> right now, thai police are looking for this man they say he set off the deadly bombing in bangkok yesterday. 22 people died. more than 120 are hurt. >>> a former fairfax county po

we have a full -- and two of those sodium cyanide are problematic. e strong oxid e oxidizers but not directly -- >> before you go on, sir, >> before you go on, what is sodium -- what did you say? sodium cyanide. >> the sodium cyanide and calcium car bide. >> what are they? what are they used for? >> okay. sodium cyanide is used industrially most often as an electroplating chemical, used in electroplating business to plate gold over zinc, things like that. it is extremely toxic, about a quarter of a teaspoon if you ingest it will kill you in about two minutes. carbon carbide is used to make plastics, some certain plastics, and it's water reactive, and when it reacts with water, you get a very flammable and very explosive gas. >> wow. okay. so the christian science monitor described the force of the blast best. it said the force of the initial blast equalled that of three tons of tnt. the second explosion was seven times stronger, the equivalent of 21 tons of explosives. the explosions were so large they were seen by satellites in space. so when chinese

[speaking foreign language] officials say about 700 tons of toxic sodium cyanide was at the site. mea th more than ten times more than thamnt aowed to be st. people whose homes were destroyed are demanding government compensation. >> translator: we can't go home because the area is contaminated. i can't raise my 9-year-old daughter in that kind of environment. >> some people are voicing their frustration on a chinese equivalent of twitter. they're urging the government to disclose accurate information. the blast site is near the port of tianjin. one of the largest ports in the world. some japanese companies are considering switching their transport routes. >>> toshiba's top manager aim to regain the trust of investors and prevent another accounting scandal from happening. they say more than half of the new board members will be appointed from outside. that's up from a quarter. >>> the decision was reached by a third party panel set up after toshiba falsified financial statements. the revolution led to the resignation of three former chief executives. toshiba plans to finalize the

however, at least one deadly toxin, sodium cyanide was found there.y has more from the city. >> reporter: desperate screams outside a chinese government press conference. parents of missing firefighters demand to know the truth. even now, no one has contacted me, she says. i just want my son back. >> their children are contractors who fight fires like their official counterparts without military benefits. whether they live or die, they deserve equal treatment, this father says. the government says contractors used water to fight wednesday's chemical fire, apparently unaware of the explosive reaction when volatile compounds get wet. the death toll continues rising with dozens still missing. massive military convoys are bringing reinforcements, soldiers securing the area, searching for survivors. 19-year-old firefighter laid on the charred ground for 31 hours before his rescue on friday. i only remember the first blast was very loud he says. i was on the ground, hands covering my head. i don't remember what happened after that. firefighters saturday als

it's been reported that the warehouse nor the blast side stored 700 tons of sodium cyanide. much more than officially allowed. people near the side have been moved to nuclear and bio chemical specialist where they have been sent to the scene. authorities deny reports of makeshift camps where they're forced to make face masks and there are worries of air contamination. >> today i have information that people within two kilometers of where the event happened would be evacuated. we immediately found out the situation with the emergency teams at the scene. there are no plans to evacuate people. at plenty there are no plans to evacuate people. >> they're amazed they're still pulling survivors from the scene. this man was found amid the shipping containers, as you saw. he had respiratory problems and internal injuries but is said to be in stable condition. turning our attention to iraq, 21 people have been killed in roadside bombings. 12 were killed when a car bomb went off in a car dealership in in a bomb that killed three. tell us when these happened, what happened and where? >>

chinese state-run broadcasters cctv quoted senior fire officials saying highly toxic sodium cyanide and nerve gas were detected tuesday in air samples. but xinhua on wednesday afternoon reported that specialists ruled out the possibility of nerve gas at the blast site. cctv deleted any mention of nerve gas from its website. >>> officials monitoring a volcano in southwestern japan are urging locals to stay alert. they've reported a very minor eruption and are warning a much bigger one could follow. officials are keeping an eye on the mountain. they say the eruption sent smoke 500 meters into the air. video they captured beforehand showed nearby clouds and smoke glowing red, a sign of volcanic gas. the officials recorded a string of volcanic earthquakes, and they say the mountain is swollen. they raised the eruption alert level on saturday. they're urging people who live within 3 kilometers to watch out. they say a bigger blast could send rocks flying and trigger flows of hot stone and ash. >>> business owners in a popular hot spring resort near tokyo are seeing fewer tourists. they're ne

among the roughly 40 substances kept there were sodium cyanide and ammonium nitrate, which is used in making bombs. the blasts were so severe that they damaged buildings several kilometers away. authorities have cordoned off the area. here we were within two kilometers of the site. unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited. trucks could be seen carrying damaged containers out of the restricted area, one after another. we spent about 15 minutes filming around the area. as we drove away, firefighters sprayed our car with water. the same thing happened to every car in this area, probably to prevent contamination by toxic substances from spreading. residential buildings also suffered damage in the explosion. people are returning from the places where they took shelter to pick up their belongings. some of them have found new accommodations because they don't want to continue living here. >> translator: we can't live here. we're moving out. >> translator: the government compensation isn't enough. it doesn't even cover half our rent. >> reporter: fear of contamination is also affecting comme

found several hundred tons of -- when sodium cyanide is mixed with water, it not only creates a very toxic chemical, it could also cause more blasts. that is something that they are really concerned about, and obviously water makes it harder to contain the pollutant. authorities have built a massive dam around the area to contain the pollutant. the public remains very skeptical. the incident has triggered a lot of public anger. do investigators have a lead as to who or what is responsible for this? they do not have a clearly lead yet. the public is outraged. blame has been placed squarely on the government as well as the local company. they have a license to operate and store chemicals, but have also operated without a license. oute is news that came suspecting that the owner of the country is politically connected, but they have denied that suspicion as well. the vice mayor of tianjin was sacked today, officially put under investigation. he is the first official to be checked and investigated. he was arrested for, authority -- according to authorities, violations of discipline and t

there were also 500 tons of pa tass yum nitrate and 700 tons of sodium cyanide. authorities say the explosions killed 114 people and dozens are still missing. local media say authorities detained ten people including the top official of a company that manages the warehouse. >>> officials with japan's defense ministry are set to release a record-high budget. the decision comes as china increases its maritime activities in the waters around japan. defense ministry officials will seek a draft budget of $40 billion, that's up 2.2% from the current fiscal year. it covers the cost of purchasing 12 osprey transport aircraft and multipurpose helicopters for transport and rescue purposes. officials also want to buy 36 maneuver combat vex armed with artillery guns that can be easily transported by air. they'll also request funds for designing a system to monitor space in cooperation with the u.s. and they're seeking to increase the number of members to deal with cyber attacks. the new bilateral guidelines adopted in april include measures to deal with new threats including

a warehouse is said to have been storing up to 700 tons of sodium cyanide. more than it was supposed to. >> we are just inside the seclusion zone, about 108 kilometers from the epicenter. traffic has come and gone so it is not clear if the authorities have widened the seclusion zone as reported 50 state controlled media. certainly a school about 300 meters from here is now empty. up until yesterday hundreds of families who have been evacuated have been staying there. they have now been moved presumably somewhere considered a bit safer. so the death toll is continuing to rise, 95 still missing, 85 of them are firefighters. 21 firemen are confirmed dead. the youngest just 17 years old and of course 58 people remain in a critical condition in hospital. this is really shaping up to be china's worst industrial accident in many, many years. there is not just anxiety. there is also age are outside the news conference this morni morning. demanding the government do more to help them they say the only assistance they have received so far are volunteers giving them fo

the warehouse contained sodium cyanide and ammonium nitrate. top leaders told government leaders not to overlook any breach in the law or regulations and ordered local authorities to step up safety management. on saturday, two days after the order, another blast occurred killing one worker. it was at a chemical plant. >>> people in beijing are enjoying the rare sight of a blue sky. the smog cleared because the government is cutting pollution ahead of the military parade. local media are calling the color parade blue. government officials are restricting. they want the smog gone by next thursday when they mark the 70th anniversary of what they call their country's victory over japan. the sky over beijing usually looks like this. officials say pollution at most observation points is now at the lowest or second lowest level on a scale of six. residents haven't seen this sky this blue since government cut pollution for another summit. >> translator: i wish the city would host lots of important events. the air is so much better when we have blue. >>

reporter: over 700 tons of sodium cyanide were stored in the plant before the explosion. there are fears of contamination with smoke still billowing. they are using china's most advanced monitoring equipment to provide precise and regular updates on surrounding air quality. chinese authorities have evacuated residents in a three-kilometer radius. commuter took a tour of the blast site. >> i reckon there won't be any long-term effects. he went to the scene and did not wear any protection. if the country's premier was not afraid, then us normal people should not be either. reporter: so far, monitoring efforts have yielded encouraging results. cleanup teams must act quickly. rainfall coming into contact with the chemical waste could still produce and spread toxic gases in the area. laura: in indonesia, bad weather has forced teams to abandon efforts to find a plane that crashed on sunday. the plane came down with 54 people on board in an eastern province. wreckage has been spotted from the air, but the search will be put off until tuesday. reporter: scattered across the dens

media reports the warehouse was deedee pos it try for dangerous chemicals including sodium cyanide ace that become combustible on contact with water. it is believed fire fighters may have triggered the blast after responding to a small fire at the warehouse and dousing the flames. tensions flared as families demanded answers outside a governmental a meeting. i haven't had any contact with my son, says this father of the fire fighter surrounded by other angry relatives. more than 100 people were killed, and many of them firemen. there are miracle is among the ruble this man was found alive, after spending three days clinging to a pole inside of a shipping container. we are here to save you, please let go, said rescuers. more than 700 people have been injured, but it is still unclear how many more are still missing. and the long term health concerns for these living nearby. state run media is report ago this a warehouse was storing more than 700 tons of sodium cyanide, 07 times more then it the should have been holding. it exposed severe problems in the country's work safety sent their

i saw on tv there were 700 tons of sodium cyanide. admissionxtraordinary .hinese state media has been reporting that the use of mortar on a chemical file my -- chemical fire might have made things worse. that information could have saved many lives. there are claims that it was corruption and lax regulation that allowed such large quantities of dangerous goods to be stored so close to people's homes. one week on and the scale and extent of this disaster are still everywhere you look. this seen it gives you a glimpse of what it must've been like to have been inside one of those apartments when the extra ordinary force tore through, ripping the window frames from its surrounding. we are a kilometer from the disaster zone, and mrs. one apartment among many dozens that have been affected in a similar just oneis is apartment among many dozens that have been affected in a similar way. they want the government to buy their damaged homes. take the cleanup could many weeks, the mistrust and anger may last much longer. bbc news, tianjin. katty: germany said today that

, compressed natural gas, some 700 tons of sodium cyanide, as a matter of fact.o people are asking, wait a minute, what's happening here? were they stored safly and were residential areas too close? there were residential areas within a mile of this warehouse. it's interesting, andrea, during a live press conference covered on state television today, when an environmental official was asked whether people were living too close to this scene, the state media cut away from that live press conference and then came back several minutes later. so no response to that. and that's indicative of just how sensitive this issue is to the chinese government. >> indeed. thank you so much, kelly. >>> and a scary scene at a famous minneapolis venue last night as many as four people were hurt when the ceiling inside first avenue collapsed during a performance. the band cleared the stage. the club was quickly evacuated. >> suddenly, you could see these red lights flashing. and part of the ceiling just, boom, like caved right in. it looked like it was towards the back. >> i saw som

it happened at a company that stored hazardous chemicals including sodium cyanide, raising fears of an ongoing toxic threat. chinese officials cordoned off the blast area, but the damage extends well beyond. this office building was hit with the full force of the blast yet here we're about a mile, mile and a half from the explosion. at this depot, all 94 buses were destroyed. the ghostly buildings beyond have been abandoned. too damaged, too dangerous. a local clock frozen in time. >> oh, no! >> reporter: marking a deadly moment this busy port city will never forget. good morning, lester, it's shortly after daybreak friday here and as you can see behind me, the fire is still burning. this is a city in shock, but also, a city in fear of the potential toxic threat from this smoke. >> ian williams in china, thank you. >>> in this country, warnings tonight of a one-two punch from nature that could devastate parts of the west already in the midst of a historic drought emergency. today fire officials raised the threat level to the highest fire danger possible, and that move comes as forecast

the blast on wednesday originated at a warehouse used to store highly toxic sodium cyanide. pakistan has held funerals for 19 people killed in a suicide attack. the group with links to al qaeda says it ordered the attack. >>> amnesty international is condemning all sides fighting in yemen, saying they shown the disregard for the safety of civilians. the growing numbers of casualties has not stopped. anti-houthi fighters say they have captured areas. we have the latest. some viewers may find images in his report disturbing. >> reporter: a victory march sums up the feelings of these fighters in yemen's third largest city. these are pro government troops who have taken over. since april they fought houthi rebels. they have advanced from the north and east and are trying toe capture the eastern gate to the capital. but no one controls it. heavy fighting continues in western parts, still under the control of pro houthi forces. fighters are trying to take the republican palace held by forces and the city's airport. and streets they have won are lined with bodies of houthi fighters

the blasts on wednesday originated at a warehouse used to store highly toxic sodium cyanide. meanwhile, people's whose homes were damaged are demanding compensation from the government. many lives in apartments located less than a kilometer from the blast zone. >>> south korea launched what it calls the k police wave inspired by the global presented of its culture. the government is trying to export its policing techniques the same way it has its entertainment industry. but it hasn't come without controversy. >> reporter: protest is part of the national dna. scenes like this rally against the handling of the ferry disaster are a regular feature of life. as are the police's tactics and response. barriers, impassive ranks, they use to keep protesters to designated areas. it's a far cry from how things worked 20 years ago. now the use of tear gas is banned. the watch word, no casualties. >> translator: in the past there was direct confrontation resulting in casualty it is. now thanks to the installation of things like these, it has been prevented. >> reporter: it's a transformat