Liuyang Fireworks Factory Explosion Kills 26, All City Firecracker Factories Halt Production for Rectification

（CNA reporter Liao Wen-chi, Shanghai, 5th）An explosion at a fireworks and firecracker factory in Liuyang, Hunan, China, yesterday resulted in 26 deaths and 61 injuries. Search and rescue operations at the scene have been largely completed. In addition, all fireworks and firecracker production enterprises in Liuyang City have been ordered to suspend operations for comprehensive rectification. According to reports from CCTV News and China Newsweek, the Changsha municipal government, which has jurisdiction over Liuyang City, held a press conference today at noon to report on the details of the explosion at Huasheng Fireworks Company in Liuyang City. After the accident, more than 1,500 personnel from fire, emergency, public security, and health departments were mobilized to orderly carry out emergency rescue, on-site handling, medical treatment, and other related work. They will concentrate optimal medical resources to diagnose and evaluate each injured person and closely monitor changes in their condition. Currently, on-site search and rescue operations have been largely completed; control measures have been taken against the responsible persons of the involved enterprise in accordance with the law; air and water bodies are being monitored in real-time, and relevant environmental indicators are normal. The conference also reported on the difficulties in handling the accident, including a large amount of finished and semi-finished products remaining at the scene, causing repeated ignitions and continuous sporadic explosions. At the same time, a large amount of gunpowder was stored in the warehouse area, making it difficult to transport at once, directly threatening the safety of rescue personnel. Secondly, the scene was complex, with the factory's walls, beams, and roofs largely collapsed, forming a large amount of debris, burying personnel, and blocking passages, limiting rescue conditions. In the next step, rescue departments will, according to the unified arrangement of the command center, concentrate efforts to fully protect dangerous areas and search for trapped personnel. The conference also announced that starting from 7 p.m. on the 4th, all fireworks and firecracker production enterprises in Liuyang City have completely suspended operations for rectification. Concurrently, comprehensive safety production inspections and rectifications will be carried out in all fields, plugging regulatory loopholes, pressing down on the main responsibility of enterprises, and striving to improve intrinsic safety levels. Chen Bo-zhang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Changsha Municipal Committee and Mayor, stated that they will actively cooperate with the accident investigation, strictly adhere to the principle of seeking truth from facts, carry out comprehensive investigation and verification, fully restore the entire process and chain of the accident, and absolutely not obscure facts or evade problems. (Editor: Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150505. Stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force for protecting press freedom. Download CNA's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news. The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.