The Immigration Department has confirmed that four Hong Kong residents were injured in the massive explosion that hit the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Wednesday night.

Blazing aftermath of Tianjin explosion.
Blazing aftermath of Tianjin explosion. Photo: Tencent.

In a press release issued on Thursday evening, the department said that two of the injured Hongkongers had been discharged from a local hospital after receiving treatment while the other two remained hospitalised.

Officials from the Hong Kong government’s representative office in Beijing will closely monitor the situation and provide assistance to the injured residents, the statement said.

See the HKFP live blog for the latest updates.

The explosion, which originated at a warehouse in the Tianjin Port International Logistics Centre, rocked the whole city and has left a trail of destruction in an area spanning around 20,000 square metres, according to state media.

The death toll has risen to 50 and more than 700 have been injured.

Vivienne Zeng is a journalist from China with three years' experience covering Hong Kong and mainland affairs. She has an MA in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Her work has been featured on outlets such as Al Jazeera+ and MSNBC.