The death toll from a fireworks factory explosion in Liuyang, Hunan province rose to 26 on Tuesday as Beijing sent Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing to supervise the aftermath of the blast, according to Chinese state media.
Zhang said the State Council, China’s cabinet, would establish an investigation team to look into the cause and help with criminal punishment, official news agency Xinhua reported.
Zhang has pledged to punish firework producers that violate safety regulations, as well as regulators who fine companies instead of supervising them.
The explosion occurred at around 4.40pm on Monday in a workshop at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in the county-level city famous for its firework production, under the provincial capital Changsha.
The mayor of Changsha, Chen Bozhang, told media on Tuesday afternoon that the death toll had reached 26, while the number of injured remained at 61, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The oldest victim was 68 years old, while the youngest was in their twenties. Many of the injured were taken to Liuyang People’s Hospital and Liuyang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for emergency treatment, mostly for bone injuries.
Liu Jiayong, Communist Party secretary of the health commission of Changsha city, said that six of the injured were in intensive care.
Chen said the on-site search and rescue operation involving more than 1,500 personnel from fire, emergency response, public security and health departments had been largely completed.
Local air and water quality were being monitored in real time, with relevant environmental indicators remaining normal, he said.
Chen also apologised on behalf of the local government for the accident and vowed to conduct thorough safety checks in similar companies immediately.
President Xi Jinping on Monday urged all-out efforts to search for people who were still unaccounted for and save the injured.
Online footage circulating on Chinese internet platforms showed thick white smoke rising high into the air from the explosion site.
The explosion also broke doors and windows in the homes of neighbouring villages, where residents reported that heavy rocks were blown onto roadsides in the blast. Some villagers said they had left their village because of safety concerns.
The explosion happened less than three months after a store selling firecrackers exploded and caught fire in China’s Hubei province, killing 12 people.
Xi on Monday demanded proper handling of the aftermath and a prompt investigation into the accident, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable, according to Xinhua.
Relevant authorities across regions and departments must draw “profound lessons” from the accident and reinforce responsibility for workplace safety, Xi ordered.
Premier Li Qiang also urged efforts to strengthen workplace safety in key industries and sectors, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of major accidents.
The Liuyang police department said it had detained the company’s senior executives for an investigation into the cause of the accident, which is continuing.
The on-site rescue command evacuated villagers living within 3km (1.9 miles) of the plant, with two warehouses used by the company to store black gunpowder still posing a significant risk on Tuesday morning.
To prevent further accidents during the rescue operation, firefighters used water cannons to completely soak the scene. Three rescue robots were also deployed for search and rescue.
Building structures around the centre of the explosion were nearly flattened, according to drone footage broadcast by CCTV on Tuesday morning. White smoke could be seen still rising in dozens of spots, but the fire itself was successfully extinguished.
Explosions related to firecrackers and fireworks are not uncommon in China, where they are widely used during traditional festive seasons such as the Chinese New Year.
Some cities in China have banned fireworks due to safety concerns and air pollution. But the measures have faced resistance because fireworks remain central to festivities as the loud bangs scare off evil spirits, according to Chinese tradition.
Huasheng Fireworks Company was established on August 2, 2000, with a registered capital of 5.4 million yuan (US$790,000), according to Chinese news outlet Caixin.
In February, the company was fined 15,000 yuan (US$2,200) by the Liuyang Emergency Management Bureau, Caixin said, quoting official safety breach records that showed local safety inspectors found a worker storing industrial potassium perchlorate and phthalate together in January.
These two ingredients, which should be stored separately and handled carefully, are commonly used together to create environmentally friendly fireworks, free of sulphur and metals with a “greener” bursting charge as a stable, lower-smoke alternative to traditional, more toxic compositions.
Dubbed “China’s fireworks capital”, Liuyang is a renowned fireworks and firecracker production centre in China, with more than 430 fireworks and firecracker companies, accounting for about 60 per cent of China’s market share, according to People’s Daily.
In a February 2025 report, the party mouthpiece said that Liuyang’s fireworks industry employed more than 300,000 people and had a total output value of 50.22 billion yuan (US$7.35 billion).
The local government organises the annual Liuyang International Fireworks display to showcase its advanced products, setting a Guinness World Record in October for the largest drone formation flight, carrying fireworks with a total of 15,947 drones.
Liuyang’s mayor Dai Shuiwen said all of Liuyang’s fireworks and firecracker producers had been ordered to stop production for safety inspection as of 7pm on Monday. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
