Death toll rises to 26 in explosion at a fireworks factory in China

Beijing.- The number of deaths from an explosion recorded in a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province, in the center of the country, rose to 26 this Tuesday, while the number of injured remained at 61, reported state television CCTV.

In a press conference reported by this media outlet, those responsible for the rescue operation explained that, so far, more than 1,500 personnel from the fire departments, emergency services, public safety, and health have been mobilized to carry out emergency tasks at the scene of the incident. Currently, search and rescue efforts in the area are “practically completed” and authorities are monitoring air and water pollution levels, whose environmental indicators are “normal”.

“We are deeply saddened and filled with remorse,” assured Chen Bozhang, mayor of Changsha, capital of Hunan province, during that same appearance.

The explosion occurred around 4:43 p.m. local time (08:43 GMT) on Monday in a workshop of the Huasheng company, dedicated to the manufacture and exhibition of fireworks, located in the municipality of Liuyang, under the jurisdiction of Changsha. Images spread on local internet platforms showed a thick column of smoke rising from the place of the explosion. According to the Xinhua agency, the head of the company has been arrested by the police and the causes of the accident are being investigated.

Following the explosion, Chinese President Xi Jinping, urged to accelerate the search for missing persons, to do “everything possible” to save the injured and to clarify “as soon as possible” the causes of the event, as well as to “strictly hold accountable those responsible”, Xinhua reported.

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The president also emphasized that all regions and departments must draw “profound lessons” from this event and “strictly reinforce and assume their responsibilities” in security matters. China frequently records accidents linked to the pyrotechnics industry: twelve people died last February due to the explosion of a fireworks store in the central province of Hubei, and eight others died in a similar incident that same month in the eastern province of Jiangsu.