Overview
- An explosion that tore through the Huasheng fireworks plant in Liuyang on Monday afternoon left at least 21 people dead and 61 injured, with some state reports putting the death toll at 26.
- Rescuers set a 1 km operations zone and a 3 km control area because two on-site black powder warehouses posed a high risk of secondary blasts, and nearby residents were evacuated.
- More than 1,500 firefighters, medics, and police deployed to the site used drones, robots, and constant spraying to find victims and dampen explosive dust and embers.
- Police detained the company’s person in charge as Xi Jinping ordered strict accountability, with Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing directing the response and the State Council forming an investigation team.
- Authorities suspended all fireworks plants in Liuyang for inspections, a significant step in a city that supplies about 60% of China’s domestic fireworks and roughly 70% of exports.