BEIJING – In an updated official report released Friday by Chinese state media, the fatalities from a massive explosion at a central Chinese fireworks manufacturing facility earlier this week have climbed to 37. According to China’s national news agency Xinhua, local disaster response teams confirm one additional person is still unaccounted for following the blast, which took place Monday at a plant operated in Liuyang, a county-level city under the administration of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province.
Initial emergency assessments put the number of injured survivors at more than 60, though no updated injury count has been released publicly as of Friday. Investigations into the root cause of the explosion remain ongoing, authorities confirmed, and a temporary moratorium on all fireworks production operations has been imposed across the surrounding region to allow for safety inspections.
The affected facility is run by Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co., according to state-run newspaper China Daily. Liuyang, the location of the plant, is widely recognized as China’s leading fireworks production hub, with a centuries-long legacy tied to the industry. Historical records from Guinness World Records trace the earliest formally documented firework — the traditional Chinese firecracker — back to Li Tian, a Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) monk who resided in the Liuyang area.
Friday’s updated death toll marks the latest major deadly incident involving fireworks in China this year. Back in February, two separate fatal explosions at fireworks retail outlets occurred during the lead-up to the Lunar New Year holiday, a period when demand for celebratory fireworks typically surges across the country.