HONG KONG – A blast at a fireworks factory in China has killed at least 26 people and injured 61, flattening buildings and sending towering clouds of smoke into the sky, and prompting President Xi Jinping to order a thorough investigation, state media reported on Tuesday.
More than 1 500 firefighters, rescuers, medical personnel and police were deployed, together with drones and three robots, to search for survivors and control on-site hazards after the explosion on Monday at a factory compound in Liuyang, the city in central Hunan province known as China’s fireworks capital.
Authorities evacuated surrounding areas because of the risk from highly combustible black powder stored in two warehouses in the complex, Xinhua reported.
The explosion happened at around 4:40 p.m. (0840 GMT) at Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company, according to reports by Xinhua and CCTV.
Social media footage showed smoke billowing up into clear blue skies against a backdrop of lush, green mountains. Reuters verified the location in the footage, which was posted on social media on May 4, as Changsha, the Hunan provincial capital which is responsible for the administration of Liuyang.
A Hunan Satellite TV reporter at the scene said the area had been razed to the ground, with trees uprooted by shock waves from the blasts, and there was a strong smell of gunpowder in the air.
Xinhua video showed thick clouds of black and grey smoke rising from a large site littered with collapsed buildings and debris.
China is no stranger to fireworks and industrial accidents. In June last year, an explosion at a fireworks factory also in Hunan province killed nine people and injured 26.
Weeks before an explosion at a chemical plant in northeastern China killed at least five people, highlighting the risks associated with storing hazardous and flammable materials in factories or warehouses. (Reuters)
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