At least 12 firefighters were among 44 people killed in a series of blasts that ripped through a warehouse in China's Tianjin city, media reported on Thursday.
Around 1,000 firefighters and 143 fire engines were rushed to the warehouse in Binhai New Area after the explosions on Wednesday night, Xinhua news agency reported.
"It's all black and smog, I can't see anything inside. Some of my colleagues had even worse injuries," an injured firefighter said.
Over 500 people were injured and 66 of them were critically hurt, the rescuers said.
The warehouse contained "dangerous" goods and their volatility made the fire "unpredictable and dangerous to approach", said the rescuers.