Fireworks factory explosion kills 26, injure many others

5.5.2026
Twenty-six people have died and 61 injured after an explosion rocked a fireworks factory in central China.
The blast struck a factory in Changsha, Hunan province, on Monday afternoon, according to news agency Xinhua. Rescue officials said the explosion caused a massive fire among large quantities of finished and semi-finished products, leading to repeated smaller blasts.
Stored gunpowder and structural collapse created dangerous conditions, trapping workers and blocking rescue routes.
State media China Daily said that the plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co in the Changsha-administered, county-level city of Liuyang, a prominent fireworks powerhouse in the country.
Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang said search and rescue efforts were largely complete, though work to verify casualties and identify victims was ongoing.
He said that the local government expressed condolences for the victims and apologised to society, including the families and injured people.
“We feel extremely pained and deeply remorseful,” he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to locate missing people and treat the injured and ordered a swift investigation with “serious accountability.”
The incident follows two other deadly explosions at fireworks shops reported in China earlier this year around the Lunar New Year period. Agency reports