TIANJIN, Aug 15 : Chinese police have for the first time confirmed deadly sodium cyanide at the site of two huge warehouse blasts that killed 104 people, state media said on Saturday, as a series of new, small explosions were heard and small fires broke out.
Police confirmed the presence of the chemical, fatal when ingested or inhaled, "roughly east of the blast site" in an industrial zone in the northeastern port city of Tianjin, the state-run Beijing News said.
It did not say how much had been found or how great a risk it posed.
The blasts late on Wednesday originated in a warehouse storing toxic chemicals and some residents expressed concern that the air and water could have been poisoned.
"I do feel a bit afraid," said construction worker Li Shulan, 49, when asked about the air quality. "It definitely doesn't feel good. As you can see our boss is making us wear masks."     ?REUTERS