Watch video of this terrifying explosion in China that was so massive a satellite saw it from space
The immediate reaction is to think of a Hollywood action film. But what happened in Tianjin, China on Thursday morning was no movie shoot: A series of huge explosions starting off at a warehouse left 44 people dead, hundreds injured and authorities battling a chemical fire. The explosions were so big that earthquake sensors in the northern Chinese port town picked up tremors, and many indeed thought it was a quake until they saw the fireball.
It is still unclear what set off the explosions, although the most likely reason is an industrial accident. The blasts started off in a warehouse that was storing hazardous chemicals, with Chinese news outlets claiming that a shipment of explosives themselves blew up.
As Reported.ly pointed out, the explosion also turned out to be big enough that a Japanese infrared weather satellite picked it up, seeing a sudden heat surge in the area.
Reports suggested that the initial explosion set off another one at a petrol reservoir, and ended up causing buildings around the area to collapse. On social media people pointed out that there were many tanks in the neighborhood that might have been set off. Photos and reports also confirmed substantial amounts of damage to people's houses after the blast and hospitals full of people hit by flying glass or debris.
As is characteristic with the Chinese government, though, authorities weren't entirely happy about foreigners reporting on what was happening in the city, as this CNN video shows.
