Chilling CCTV footage shows moment of Tianjin blast
August 13, 2015
Video posted by Chinese state media appears to show the moment of impact in the deadly blast that erupted in the city of Tianjin.
Beijing: Of the scores of amateur eyewitness videos circulating widely on Chinese social media, few have captured the stunning impact of the blast that rocked the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Wednesday quite like this.
The clearly time-stamped security footage shows a man dressed in a dark T-shirt, apparently preparing to step out the double doors of a building, a few seconds before 11:36pm local time.
A grab from the chilling video.
Without warning, a massive blast erupts, blowing in the building's doors as the man disappears under a wall of shattering glass; the security camera completely blanketed with thick smoke and debris.
The footage, which has accumulated millions of views on Chinese video streaming sites, was first uploaded about two hours after the blast, spreading widely after being reposted by numerous local news outlets on social media.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the footage may have come from a local medical clinic near the site of the blast.
Damaged vehicles are seen under bridges close to the site of the explosions at Binhai new district, Tianjin on Thursday morning. Photo: Reuters
It is not known if the man survived the explosion, which has killed 17 and injured some 400 people as of Thursday morning.
Other videos, such as the vine by Fairfax Media below, show the impact of the blast from a distance.
Vehicles are seen burning after blasts at Binhai new district in Tianjin overnight. Photo: Reuters
