At least 44 people are now known to have died, and more than 500 injured, following two major explosions in China's northern port city of Tianjin.

Twelve firefighters were among the dead, China's official Xinhua news agency said as it reported a doubling of the death toll.

Two blasts happened in a warehouse storing "dangerous and chemical goods" in the port area of the city.

Buildings and hundreds of cars in the port area were destroyed

The first explosion occurred at about 23:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday, followed seconds later by another, more powerful blast and a series of smaller explosions. The impact could be felt several kilometres away. The blasts caused a huge fireball that could be seen from space.

Buildings within a 2km radius (1.5 miles) had windows blown out, office blocks were destroyed and hundreds of cars burnt-out.

(Source: BBC)