Nine dead, 26 injured

An explosion at a fireworks factory in central China killed nine people and injured 26 others,  state media said, as challenging on-site rescue work continued a day after the incident. The blast occurred at a factory in a village outside Changde, a city in Hunan province, state-run China National Radio (CNR) said.

Rescue work at the scene was ongoing, CNR reported, noting a “complicated” situation and the risk of additional explosions hampering response efforts. Adding to the challenge, the site was in a “mountainous area with no large water source”, it added. “During more than 20 hours of uninterrupted and continuous rescue, the rescue team used remote-controlled water cannons to extinguish the fire,” the report said.

State news agency Xinhua also said Tuesday that the Ministry of Emergency Management had sent a working team to Hunan to oversee the rescue.