A series of explosions ripped though a port facility Tianjin late Wednesday night, killing 44 and injuring 500.

According to CNN, citing the state-run China Earthquake Networks Center, many mistook the blasts for earthquakes as the first was measured at a magnitude of 2.3 and the second at 2.9.

"The second explosion was so powerful that I felt the entire 16-floor-building was shaking," said Liu, who lives about 4 kilometers (2½ miles) from the site of the blasts. "I thought it was an earthquake! I was extremely scared. I was afraid my family was in danger." 

The center added that the “…magnitude of the first explosion was equivalent of detonating three tons of TNT, while the second was the equivalent of 21 tons of the explosive,” wrote the BBC.

While police have yet to determine the cause of the inferno that incinerated buildings and vehicles (like the brand new VN Beatles seen below), they determined that it originated at a set of warehouses where “dangerous goods” were stored, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.