At least 44 people are dead and another 400 are injured, according to state broadcasters, after multiple huge explosions rocked the Chinese port city of Tianjin.
Twelve firefighters are reportedly among the dead and 32 of those injured are in critical condition.
The explosions, so large they could be seen by satellites in space, reportedly began at around 11:30pm (3:30pm GMT) in the Binhai district, and shattered windows and knocked off doors of buildings in the area, Beijing News reported.
The explosion occurred at a warehouse for explosive and dangerous goods. Xinhua News said the first explosion was equivalent to 3 tons of TNT, and the second, 21 tons.
The blasts then triggered others at nearby businesses, according to Xinhau.
One thousand firefighters were called to tackle the blazes, according to Xianhau.
The state-run Beijing News cited Tianjin fire authorities as saying they had lost contact with 36 firefighters, and that another 33 were among the hundreds of people being treated in nearby hospitals.
It is not yet known what caused the explosion, but videos from the scene show a dramatic fireball exploding near the site of a fire.
As dawn broke, images emerged of hundreds of burned-out vehicles at the site of the explosion.
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