An explosion at a fireworks factory in central China has claimed at least 26 lives, local authorities said on Tuesday, prompting the regime's top leader to call for a speedy investigation into the cause.
The blast in Liuyang, a county-level city under the administration of Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan, occurred at around 4 p.m. local time on Monday, according to state media Xinhua and CCTV.
At least 61 people were confirmed injured, a Changsha official told a news briefing on Tuesday at noon, Xinhua reported.
In China, where the Chinese Communist Party maintains tight control over the media and social media, coverage of tragic events such as explosions often centers on the Party's response and rescue efforts, with limited details of the accidents available.
The incident occurred during the Labor Day holiday, when many companies and factories typically close. This year's holiday was set from May 1 to 5.
A man living about 2 miles from the fireworks factory told The Epoch Times that he expected the number of casualties to rise, noting that the factory remained open during the holiday and that the explosion occurred during regular working hours.
“A hospital close to my home is full of the injured,” said the man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “Just a moment ago, while we were out getting a late-night meal, we saw survivors with bandages on their heads.
“Many people remain missing, probably trapped under the collapsed buildings. We, locals, are too scared to guess how many people were killed or injured.”
Another woman, living less than a mile from the factory, recounted that the explosion took place about five minutes after her 1-year-old baby fell asleep.
“All the doors and windows in my house were destroyed, and the TV and roof were blown apart,” the mother, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal, told The Epoch Times on Tuesday.
“It was terrifying,” she said. “When my mom told me to grab my baby and run, I felt like I couldn't even walk down the stairs.
“My child, my mom, and I are all safe. If the explosion had happened just a few minutes earlier, my baby might have been playing in the living room and been hit by flying glass.”
She is now living at her uncle's home, about a half-hour walk from the factory, where she said she could still see the “sea of red flames” rising from the factory.
Six to seven of her neighbors who work at the factory remain missing, she said, doubting that the true casualties would be reflected in official media.
“A person from the fireworks factory told me that fewer than a third of the workers managed to run out of the scene,” she said. “That's probably closer to the truth. I hope they can rescue more people tonight.”
At a briefing on Tuesday, Ding Weiming, Party chief of Changsha city's Emergency Management Bureau, said that the on-site search was basically complete, according to Xinhua.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to investigate the cause of the incident as soon as possible, according to Xinhua.
According to CCTV, the person in charge at the manufacturer has been detained, while the investigation into the cause of the explosion is underway.
Authorities had ordered all local fireworks manufacturers to halt production in the wake of the blast, Xinhua stated.