A chemical odor hung in the air Thursday. Fires still burned in the thinly populated waterfront industrial district where the explosions went off. And the grim toll kept mounting.
Among the 50 confirmed dead are 17 firefighters, officials said Thursday. More than 700 people have been treated in hospitals, 71 in critical condition, the state-run Xinhua news outlet said. Dozens of people are reported to still be missing.
Authorities said more than 200 chemical specialists from the military had been sent in with detection devices. More than 1,000 firefighters have been trying to deal with the remaining fires.