Explosion at China fireworks factory leaves 21 dead and 61 injured

BEIJING — A powerful explosion at a fireworks manufacturing factory in central China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and injured 61 others, triggering a massive rescue operation, state media reported on Tuesday. The explosion at the Huasheng Fireworks plant happened at around 16:40 local time (08:40 GMT) on Monday, in the city of Liuyang, leading rescuers to evacuate everyone within a 3km radius of the plant. Liuyang city is known for fireworks manufacturing and is touted as the world’s largest producer of fireworks. Authorities deployed nearly 500 personnel to conduct search and rescue operations and treat the injured, while robots were used to help find those trapped within the building. Police, who are investigating the cause of the blast, have taken “control measures” against the person in charge of the fireworks company, Xinhua news agency reported. Authorities said that two gunpowder warehouses within the factory area posed a high risk amid rescue efforts. Rescue teams had to evacuate everyone within a 3km (1.9mi) radius of the fireworks plant. They also implemented measures like humidifying the area to “prevent secondary accidents during the rescue”. The impact of the blast was so destructive that windows of a residential building near the factory were also shattered, a CCTV reporter noted in a televised broadcast from the scene. President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to search for people who are still unaccounted for and save the injured. Xi also called for an investigation into the accident to hold those responsible to account, state media reported. Speaking to Beijing News, a resident who lives about 1km away from the factory said villagers now have to take detours after stones were blasted onto the road. “The glass windows in our homes were shattered, aluminum window frames were deformed, and even the stainless-steel doors were twisted out of shape,” she said. Another resident told the news outlet that she has left the village out of fear. Blasts at fireworks factories and shops are not uncommon in China and are often deadly. In February, 12 people were killed in an explosion at a fireworks store in Hubei province.