Chinese prosecutors have detained 11 government officials and company executives over a massive warehouse explosion that killed at least 139 people in the country's worst industrial disaster in recent years.

They included current and retired officials in the port city of Tianjin, along with others working for the company that runs the port, the largest in northern China, a notice on the national prosecutor's website said.

All are accused of dereliction of duty and abusing their positions, the notice said.

The August 12 explosions at the warehouse owned by Ruihai Logistics were not only one of China's worst accidents but the deadliest ever for emergency workers, with 115 police and firefighters among the dead and missing.

Police have already detained 12 Ruihai employees as part of their investigation and are also looking into a company suspected of providing bogus safety assessments.