Explosion at China Fireworks Factory Kills 26 and Injures 61 in Hunan Province

State media reported that a large number of products caught fire, causing continuous blasts, with large quantities of gunpowder stored in the warehouse area. Rescue operations wrapped up at the site, where people had been trapped and routes blocked by collapsed walls, columns, and the roof in the factory area.

Authorities deployed more than 1,500 emergency responders, along with dogs, drones, and robots, and evacuated everyone within a 3-kilometer radius of the plant.

Rescuers saved seven people trapped under debris and implemented measures like humidifying the area to prevent secondary accidents during the rescue. Changsha’s mayor, Chen Bozhang, stated that a search and rescue operation at the site had largely been completed, with verification of casualties and identification of victims under way.

He added 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,' Chen said at a media briefing. Two gunpowder warehouses within the factory area posed a high risk amid rescue efforts.

Aerial footage showed white smoke billowing from areas of the site on Tuesday. Police detained the person in charge of the company and took control measures against the staff in charge of the fireworks company. President Xi Jinping urged all-out efforts to search for people still unaccounted for and to save the injured.

He also called on authorities to investigate the cause swiftly and pursue accountability. An excavator operator surnamed Xiao volunteered to aid rescue work at the site on Tuesday. m.

And started digging with more than a dozen drivers. 'I felt it was my responsibility to go,' Xiao told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday. Xiao received multiple wounds during a secondary explosion on Tuesday morning after scattered explosives were ignited by smouldering embers.

'The air was filled with a strong burnt gunpowder smell during the rescue, and there were still sporadic sparks at the accident site,' he said. Xiao's main task was to work with firefighters to remove remaining black gunpowder to reduce further risk at the explosion site. The ages of the injured ranged from their 20s to 60s, with some suffering bone injuries after being hit by flying debris.

Windows of a nearby residential building were shattered by the blast. Local authorities monitored water and air qualities in the vicinity, with relevant environmental indicators normal. All fireworks and firecracker manufacturers in Liuyang were ordered to halt production.

Liuyang city is known for fireworks manufacturing. In February 2026, two deadly explosions occurred at fireworks shops around the lunar new year period, including one in Hubei province that killed 12 people.