Tragedy of the Day: China Suffered an Insane Explosion, Hundreds Injured

An absolutely enormous explosion rocked the Tianjin province of China in the late hours of Aug. 11.

Hundreds hospitalized after massive explosion in Tianjin, China; reportedly caused by flammable cargo - @XHNews http://t.co/ryL7JI4wCG

— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) August 12, 2015

Very little information has come out about the cause of the gigantic fireball, how many casualties it caused or what impact it could have on the industrial province.

So far, the BBC has only the barest of details.

The explosion reportedly occurred at the Tianjin Binhai New Development Zone at about 23:30 (15:30 GMT). Pictures and video footage shared on social media suggest a number of people were wounded by the blast.

Several nearby tower blocks are without power, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

At this time, most of what is known has come out of social media, with hundreds of people posting the devastating event and its aftermath in the city, which lies southeast of the country's capital Beijing.

The blast was even visible from space:

Explosion in #TianjinCity China 08/12 Himawari8 SWIR http://t.co/SadU2X5cWx #RealEarth™ @UWSSEC @UWCIMSS pic.twitter.com/zWa3B1iEdi

— Russell Dengel (@RussellDengel) August 12, 2015

According to Wikipedia, over 15 million people live in the Tianjin province. The area in which the explosion occurred is reportedly home to 219 Fortune 500 companies.