Explosions from fireworks kill three in China's Tianjin

BEIJING - Three people were killed after a series of explosions caused by fireworks struck residential buildings in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, local officials said Wednesday.

The blasts, which occurred shortly after 8 pm Tuesday, are believed by authorities to have been ignited by a 46-year-old man who has since been arrested.

Several others were injured and were still being treated by emergency responders on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The explosions rocked two residential apartment compounds roughly one kilometre apart in the eastern part of Tianjin, which is about 110 km (70 miles) southeast of Beijing.

The arrested suspect, surnamed Ma, is under investigation but no initial findings have been made public.

Images of the scene shared on social media showed firefighters attempting to assist victims inside a housing block, the outside of which appeared to be heavily damaged.

One video showed second-storey balconies hanging precariously over piles of rubble, while a fire blazed from an upstairs window.

State-controlled National Business Daily reported that 26 homes were damaged as a result of the blasts and that 34 people were evacuated.

In another video, a man at the scene says a housing block was left "decrepit" by the blasts. - AFP