At least 26 people have been killed and 61 injured by an explosion at a fireworks factory in central China.
Hundreds of rescuers have been dispatched to the scene after the huge explosion, which occurred at a facility in the city of Changsha in Hunan province on Monday afternoon, according to the state-run newspaper China Daily.
The explosion occurred at 4.40pm on Monday, and the force of the blast flattened buildings, shattered windows and damaged houses over a wide area near the factory.
Those living nearby were evacuated due to an ongoing risk of further explosions from two black powder warehouses at the site, a Xinhua report said.
More than 1,500 firefighters, rescuers, medical personnel and police were deployed, together with drones and robots, to search for survivors and control on-site hazards after the explosion.
Aerial footage broadcast on Tuesday by Chinese state TV showed white plumes of smoke still billowing from parts of the site, operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company.
A Hunan Satellite TV reporter at the scene said the area had been razed to the ground, with trees uprooted by shock waves from the blasts, and there was a strong smell of gunpowder in the air.
The cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed, but officials have taken “control measures” against those in charge of the company, without specifying what that means.
Emergency crews were spraying water on the site to reduce the chance of further accidents and the risk of harm to rescuers, officials said.
Changsha government officials told a press conference on Tuesday that on-site searches had been largely completed.
The person in charge of Huasheng had been detained and the cause of the accident was being investigated, the government said, adding all fireworks and firecracker manufacturing companies in the city had been ordered to suspend production from Monday evening for inspections.
"The (Changsha) government expresses its condolences to all the victims, and sincerely apologise to all the families of the victims, the injured and other affected people, and the whole society," said Chen Bozhang, deputy secretary of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee and the city's mayor. "We feel extremely sad and extremely guilty."
Earlier, Chinese president Xi Jinping issued a statement directing “all-out efforts” to search for and rescue the missing and injured.
He also called on authorities to swiftly investigate the cause of the blast and pursue serious accountability measures.
The president also instructed authorities to bolster efforts for effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.
Changsha city is a hub for fireworks manufacturing. Last year, China exported $1.14bn worth of fireworks, more than two-thirds of global sales, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity shows.
China is no stranger to industrial accidents involving fireworks. In June last year, an explosion at a fireworks factory also in Hunan province killed nine people and injured 26.
In February alone, China reported two deadly explosions at fireworks shops around the Lunar New Year period.
Weeks before an explosion at a chemical plant in northeastern China killed at least five people, highlighting the risks associated with storing hazardous and flammable materials in factories or warehouses.
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