Port operations return normal after Tianjin blasts

Beijing: Operations at the Tianjin port in China have returned to normal following warehouse blasts on August 12 that claimed at least 114 lives, the port authority said on Monday.

Port operations and ship traffic were partially suspended following the huge explosions at a warehouse for hazardous chemicals, Xinhua quoted an official as saying.

Its main shipping lanes resumed traffic the morning after Wednesday's blasts, while operations at the berth and warehouse areas returned to normal on Monday, with the exception of areas close to the blasts site.

At least 114 people died and 95 others remains missing after the blasts.

The government continues search and rescue and cleaning hundreds of tons of toxic cyanide at the site while closely monitoring the environment.

The explosions stoked concerns about dragging down the booming growth of the Tianjin Binhai New Area, a key industrial park that made the city one of China's fastest growing areas.

The Tianjin port is also a gateway to northeast China, transferring around 40 percent of imported cars.

(IANS)