Explosions at Chinese port leave catastrophic destruction and more than 50 dead [Video]

Huge explosions rocked a hazardous materials warehouse in the Chinese port city of Tianjin killing at least 50 people and injuring more than 700 others.

“I thought it was an earthquake, so I rushed downstairs without my shoes on,” Tianjin resident Zhang Siyu, said in a telephone interview. “Only once I was outside did I realize it was an explosion. There was the huge fireball in the sky with thick clouds. Everybody could see it.”

Officials say there were two major blasts , the first with an equivalent of 3 tons of TNT, and the second with the equivalent of 21 tons.

Images on Chinese microblogs have slowly surfaced as government officials may be limiting the flow of information.

This first video starts just after the first, smaller explosion and captures the full spectacle of the second larger blast. The videographer experiences the full shock-wave just a few seconds after the massive fireball is seen erupting.

Aerial footage of the aftermath is starting to make its way out of the People’s Republic of China. Port looks like something from a post-apocalyptic nightmare.