Overview
- The blast, which hit Monday at about 4:40 p.m. local time, struck a Huasheng fireworks workshop in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha in Hunan province.
- State media reported at least 21 dead and 61 injured, and video from local platforms showed a thick column of smoke with shockwaves that shattered nearby windows.
- President Xi Jinping urged a rapid search for the missing and ordered every effort to treat the wounded, as the Emergency Management Ministry sent a team to oversee the response.
- Police detained the head of the company and authorities opened a formal investigation, with the cause still under review.
- Liuyang’s mayor said all fireworks makers in the city paused production for a comprehensive safety review starting Monday evening.