Toyota halts Tianjin operations through Wednesday after explosions

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said on Sunday (Aug 16) it will not resume operations through Wednesday near the Chinese port of Tianjin, where huge explosions last week killed more than 100 people.

Wednesday's explosions came during holidays for the Japanese car manufacturer, so there has been no impact so far on production at its three lines near the affected area, Toyota said in a statement.

"However, due to ongoing evacuation advisories, none of the three lines at Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd will be (in) operation from Aug 17 through 19," Toyota said.

The company said it had no further information on damage or injuries. It said on Friday more than 50 of its employees were injured in the explosions.

The death toll in the port city hit 112 on Sunday with 95 people still missing, the official Xinhua news agency said, suggesting the toll could rise significantly.

Tianjin is the gateway to northeast China, though which about 40 per cent of China's imported cars enter the country.