TIANJIN, China - The massive force of the shockwave from the blast in the Chinese port city of Tianjin hurled Hua Hongwei a few metres, and then pinned him to the ground. The factory worker in his 20s, speaking from a hospital bed, recounts how he was lucky to survive the series of explosions that rocked his dormitory, situated about 1 km from the industrial area. A few moments earlier, he had stepped out onto his balcony to check the scene after the first blast. He then returned inside just as the massive second explosion sent a fireball over the city - a seismic event so big it was seen by satellites in space. “I didn’t understand what was happening,” Hua said, recounting how he flew through the room and then was crushed to the floor. The worker from the autos plant stumbled out of the building where a friend found him and gave him some water. He was put in a taxi to the hospital. The second explosion, equivalent to 21 tonnes of TNT, was about seven times more powerful than the first one that jolted Hua from his bed. The two blasts left at least 44 dead and more than 500 injured. Hua, his head bandaged, was one of dozens of victims being treated at Tianjin’s TEDA Hospital, about a 15-minute drive from the blast site. Young volunteers distributed bottles of water to weeping relatives in the hospital’s hallways. Outside the hospital, volunteers set up tents, serving bowls of steaming meat and vegetables. A long line of taxis, which called themselves the “Love team” with red ribbons tied around their antennas, offered free rides to family members. Like Hua, many of the victims said at first they did not realise what was happening. “I saw fire burning and then: Boom! There was an explosion. My first reaction was to run as fast as I could and get down on the ground to save my life,” said Wu Dejun, 38, a hairstylist. “When I escaped, I had blood all over me.” Fires were still burning in the industrial area in the northeast city late on Thursday afternoon, and toxic fumes spewed from the area. Many people were still missing. Song Jianyong, who works for logistics company in the industrial area, feared the worst for his colleagues. “Our office was just located next door to the blast site and all my colleagues who are missing were working at that time,” Song told Reuters. “We’ve gone to all the hospitals in downtown Tianjin and I’m really anxious.” Song has checked the updated list of incoming patients every hour since the blasts late on Wednesday. None of his colleagues’ names have appeared.