China's cabinet vows rigorous probe into Tianjin blast

TIANJIN - The State Council, China's cabinet, promised a rigorous and thorough investigation into the deadly warehouse blast in North China's Tianjin.

Five teams deployed by the State Council have been assigned to investigate the cause, accountability and institutional loopholes that led to the fatal explosion, according to an official with the State Council in an interview with Xinhua.

The teams are tasked with surveying the site, collecting evidence, testing samples collected from the site, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing the laws and regulations related to incidents such as this.

The findings will be published once all evidence has been submitted to the State Council. The cabinet added that it was its top priority to ensure the investigation was both timely and accurate.

Last Wednesday night, two explosions destroyed a warehouse in Tianjin where hundreds of tonnes of toxic chemicals were stored, including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide.

As of Friday afternoon, 116 people have died, 646 remain in hospital and 60 are still missing.