A gigantic explosion at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan province, central China, has left 26 dead and 61 injured, authorities reported this Tuesday. Liuyang is a major pyrotechnics center, producing about 60% of fireworks sold in China and 70% of those exported.

First modification: 05/05/2026 - 12:00 Last modification: 05/05/2026 - 13:34

The death toll following a massive explosion at a fireworks factory in central China has risen to 26, with an additional 61 injured, officials said Tuesday.

The explosion occurred around 4:43 p.m. on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company, dedicated to the manufacture and display of fireworks, in Hunan province, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Following the detonation, all pyrotechnics manufacturers in Changsha – the provincial capital of Hunan administered by Liuyang – were ordered to stop production for safety inspections, CCTV reported.

Videos on social media on Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast plume of smoke rising in a rural area surrounded by mountains.

CCTV drone footage taken a day later showed a swath of smoldering rubble where buildings once stood, with rescue teams and excavators removing the remains.

Smoke continued to billow from some structures that remained standing, many of them with their roofs torn off by the blast wave.

Rescue and emergency deployment work

Changsha Mayor Chen Bozhang said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon: "We feel deep pain and are full of remorse," adding that search and rescue efforts are "basically complete."

The central government sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers were urgently deployed to the scene, according to CCTV. A control zone of 3 kilometers around was established and nearby residents were evacuated.

So far, more than 1,500 personnel from the fire, emergency, public safety and health departments have been mobilized to carry out emergency tasks at the scene of the event.

Currently, search and rescue efforts in the area are "practically completed" and authorities are monitoring air and water pollution levels, whose environmental indicators are "normal."

Police have detained company officials while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV reported.

Background and deficiencies in industrial safety

President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out efforts" to care for the injured, search for the missing and hold those responsible accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The president also stressed that all regions and departments must draw "deep lessons" from this fact and "strengthen and strictly assume their responsibilities" in terms of security.

Liuyang is a nerve center for pyrotechnics, responsible for around 60% of fireworks sold in China and 70% of those destined for export.

Industrial accidents, including those in this sector, are common in China due to poor safety standards.

In 2025, an explosion at another Hunan factory killed nine people, and in 2023, three people died after blasts in residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin. In February, separate explosions at fireworks stores in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces left 12 and eight dead, respectively.

With AFP and EFE

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