Tianjin blast death toll rises to 129

Rescue authorities updated the death toll from the Tianjin warehouse explosions to 129, with 44 others missing, on Monday.

They had put the figure at 123 on Sunday afternoon, which means six more bodies were retrieved from the blast site debris.

All the dead have been identified, including 76 firefighters, seven policemen and 46 other people. The missing people include 28 firefighters, four policemen and 12 others.

Meanwhile, 610 people remain hospitalized, 39 of them in serious condition. A total of 187 injured people have been discharged from hospital.

Two blasts ripped through a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals in north China's Tianjin Port at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.

Personnel have removed 3,625 burnt cars and 1,677 containers from the site.

Environmental monitoring showed no excessive levels of pollutants in the air outside the exclusion zone set up around the blast site, but found excessive levels of cyanide in water on Sunday.

Cyanide was detected in 33 of 44 water monitoring sites on Sunday. Six sites inside the exclusion zone contained cyanide 0.94 to 36.8 times more than levels officially regarded as safe.

Cyanide was also found in underground water near the blast site but the levels were not excessive.

Han Fengqun, a 56-year-old who was rescued 65 hours after the blast, is in a stable condition after 10 days in intensive care, said Meng Xiangzhong, a doctor in charge of his treatment. Han owned a convenience store near the warehouse.

Police have detained executives of the warehouse's owner, Tianjin Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd, including company head Yu Xuewei, deputy head Dong Shexuan and general manager Zhi Feng.

The cause of the blasts is being investigated.