SCMP.com
TIANJIN, China — Wei county, an underdeveloped rural area in Hebei province, had never received much attention until yesterday when more than 50 heartbroken relatives of firemen tried to force their way into a press conference about the huge explosions at a dangerous materials warehouse in Tianjin.
“I need an explanation. I need to find out where my son is,” said Wang Xiurong. Wang is the mother of a firefighter from the No.5 team of the Tianjin Port Group fire department. It along with No. 4 team was among the first fire crews to arrive at the scene of the massive blasts on Wednesday night. All 25 firefighters from No. 5 team are missing and at least 11 of them are from Wei county.
Big companies and enterprises such as ports and chemical factories are legally obliged to recruit their own fire departments to deal with emergencies.
Full story: ‘Forgotten’ heroes: firemen of the Tianjin Port Group