Hunan fireworks factory blast kills 21, injures 61; Xi orders swift probe
A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and injured 61, prompting President Xi Jinping to call for a thorough investigation and strict accountability, state media reported on Tuesday. The explosion occurred at around 4:40 p.m.
(0840 GMT) on Monday in Liuyang, a major fireworks manufacturing hub administered by the provincial capital Changsha, according to CCTV and Xinhua. Footage shared on social media showed vast plumes of smoke rising against clear skies and surrounding green hills, while Xinhua video depicted a large site strewn with collapsed buildings and debris.
Xinhua said five rescue teams totaling nearly 500 personnel and three rescue robots were dispatched, using a “human–machine coordinated approach” to conduct grid-style searches. Authorities evacuated nearby residents, establishing a 1 km rescue area and a 3 km control zone.
Two black powder storage warehouses within the compound were flagged as high-risk hazards. State media identified the site as Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company. The person in charge of the company has been detained, and the cause of the accident was being investigated, according to China Daily.
Xi urged a speedy probe to determine the cause, along with stronger risk screening and hazard control in key industries to enhance public safety and protect lives and property, Xinhua reported.
He frequently issues “important instructions” after major fatal incidents; last week he called for a nationwide upgrade in disaster response capacity, and he also issued instructions after a fire tore through residential towers in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court complex in November, killing 168 people.
China exported $1.14 billion worth of fireworks last year, accounting for more than two-thirds of global sales, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity, underscoring the industry’s scale and the stakes of safety oversight in manufacturing hubs such as Liuyang.