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Laura Bicker,China Correspondent
An explosion at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 26 people. people and left 61 injured, according to official media.
Rescue operations ended at the Huasheng fireworks factory in the southern city of Liuyang after an explosion on Monday afternoon forced authorities to evacuate everyone within a 3 km radius of the factory.
Authorities have deployed more than 1,500 rescue workers, as well as dogs, drones and robots. They rescued seven people trapped under the rubble.
Police, who are investigating the cause of the explosion, have taken “control measures” against staff manager of the fireworks company, Chinese state media reported.
Authorities said two gunpowder warehouses located in the factory area had posed a high risk amid rescue efforts, state media reported.
In addition to evacuating people near the fireworks factory, rescuers also implemented measures such as humidifying the area to “avoid secondary accidents during rescue.”
The impact of the explosion was so destructive that the windows of a nearby residential building were shattered, a CCTV reporter noted in a television broadcast from the scene.
The ages of the injured range from 20 to 60 years old, and some suffered bone injuries after being hit by flying debris, the CCTV report said.
President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to search for the missing and rescue the injured. He also called for an investigation into the accident to hold those responsible accountable, state media reported.
Local authorities said on Tuesday that they were monitoring water and air quality in the surrounding area and that relevant environmental indicators were normal.
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Speaking to Beijing News, a resident who lives about 1 km from the factory said villagers now have to take detours after stones were thrown onto the road.
“Glass windows in our homes were broken, aluminum window frames were warped and even stainless steel doors were warped,” she said.
Another resident told media that she left the village out of fear.
The city of Liuyang is known for fireworks manufacturing, featured in reports as the largest fireworks producer in the world.
Explosions at fireworks factories and stores are not uncommon in China – and are often fatal. In February, 12 people were killed in an explosion at a fireworks store in Hubei province.
