Overview
- At the Huasheng plant in Liuyang, which exploded Monday around 4:40 p.m. local time, state media reported 61 injured and a death toll that rose from 21 to at least 26 as updates came in.
- Roughly 482 to 500 responders in five teams used rescue robots and constant water spraying after two on‑site gunpowder warehouses created high risk and forced evacuations within a one‑ to three‑kilometre zone.
- Police detained the person in charge of Huasheng Fireworks as investigators opened a case into the cause, and national emergency authorities dispatched experts to guide the response.
- Changsha Mayor Chen Bozhang said Tuesday that search and rescue were largely complete and that real‑time air and water checks showed no signs of contamination.
- Liuyang is China’s fireworks hub, supplying about 60% of the domestic market and roughly 70% of exports, and the disaster is likely to drive tighter safety inspections after a series of lethal blasts in recent years.