©picture alliance / HPIC | stringer
At least 26 people have already been killed and 61 others injured in an explosion in the Chinese city of Liuyang, also called "the fireworks capital of China" because it is home to as many as three thousand fireworks factories and has been producing fireworks for centuries.
The heavy blast occurred on Monday a little before 5 p.m. local time at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company factory in China's Hunan province. According to Xinhua news agency, the person in charge of the company has been detained by police.
The devastation is enormous and the Chinese government immediately sent five hundred rescue workers to search for survivors. Nearby residents were evacuated and no one was allowed in a 3-kilometer radius around the factory because two gunpowder storage facilities on the site were also in danger of exploding. Three rescue robots were also sent to the site to assist in the search and rescue effort. The force of the explosion shattered windows and doors in surrounding villages. According to Chinese authorities, rescue workers are making every effort to avoid further explosions in the fireworks-strewn town. Rescue workers are also taking extra precautions. For example, parts of the site are being kept wet to reduce the chances of new fires or explosions. Meanwhile, the search for missing persons is said to be complete. Images circulating in Chinese media show a huge cloud of smoke over the site and massive destruction.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is demanding that the cause of this massive explosion be identified and those responsible for the tragedy be tracked down.
©picture alliance / HPIC | stringer - image of a fireworks show in Liuyang in October 2025