Grief and many questions in Tianjin

Cargo ships blared their sirens and people stood in silence in Tianjin to commemorate the victims seven days after the explosion. The dead were officially numbered at 114 on Tuesday. According to Chinese belief, the souls of the deceased return home on the seventh day in preparation for being born again.

Heavy rains have hampered clean-up efforts. Experts fear toxic chemicals could spread more quickly and contaminate the soil. About 700 tons of highly toxic sodium cyanide were stored at the site of the explosion. The environment authority advises people to stay away: "Unfortunately, there is no better solution."

The area where the explosion occurred has been cordoned off. Sewage is no longer discharged into the nearby Haihe River, which flows into Bohai Bay. There is much polluted water already, the city's environment department warns. Monitoring stations have been set up around the blast zone.

The warehouse exploded in a heavily populated area. The nearest apartment buildings are just 600 meters (about 650 yards) away. Residents are demanding that the government buy back their destroyed apartments at the original purchase prices. City officials have so far offered the equivalent of just 850 euros ($940) in "transition money."

Chinese media are reporting that 10 managers of the private warehouse company have been arrested. Four of them are still being treated in hospital. The company's permits to store various dangerous chemicals expired last October, but regulators turned a blind eye, according to reports.

The devastating explosion could end up costing international insurers more than $1.5 billion. A number of German companies in the auto industry and other sectors are also being indirectly affected. Companies that would normally import goods via Tianjin now have to use other ports such as Shanghai.

Chinese officials taking part in press conferences have frequently been dodging questions, often answering "No comment," resulting in rampant speculation spreading via the Internet. Censors are also punishing some websites, such as that of an evening newspaper that's been blocked for a week for "spreading obvious rumors."

Seven days after the explosion, officials finally announced the name of the emergency response coordinator. It's Tianjin mayor Huang Xingguo, pictured here on the left. Initially, a city spokesman could not give any information about who was in charge.

Despite the censors, people continue to speculate online about how the warehouse could violate safety regulations and store dangerous chemicals so close to a residential area. Users suspect that the operators were working in conjunction with corrupt public officials.