…By August 17, the death toll from the deadly explosion which broke out at a chemical warehouse facility in Tianjin's Binhai New Area, rose to 114 people, 54 of whom have been identified…698 people have been hospitalized, with 37 in critical condition.

…Since the first news conference on the explosion convened August 13, only a trickle of information on the disaster has been offered by authorities with scant disclosure on the exact types of chemicals housed or detected at the site.

The four officials presiding over the fifth press conference on August 15 remained silent when quizzed by reporters on why a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals could be situated so close to residential buildings. At least three residential developments were built within one kilometer from the site of the explosions despite government regulations on protective zoning for the storage of hazardous materials.

…Reporters and some observers were also angered by state-owned broadcaster China Central Television and local Tianjin TV when each live broadcast was cut off for each of the press conference as soon as the session moved to the questions and answers format…

…Shi Luze, chief of staff of the Beijing Military Area Command on August 16 confirmed media reports that hundreds of tons of sodium cyanide were stored in the warehouse along with many dangerous chemicals and materials...