Four die, 46 hurt in explosion at fireworks factory
The blast creates a two-metre-deep hole and shatters windows 600 metres away
Fireworks left to dry in the sun exploded at a Guangxi fireworks factory yesterday, killing at least four people and injuring 46.
A witness reported seeing a mushroom cloud of smoke and flames rising from the plant.
At least one of those injured was in serious condition and two people were still missing last night.
The massive explosion occurred in Gongguan township in Hepu county. The factory employs 2,000 people and exports fireworks to Europe and the United States.
The explosion in the outdoor drying area of the Hefeng Fireworks Export Factory left a crater more than two metres deep and seven metres wide.
The blast was so powerful it blew windows and doors out of buildings up to 600 metres away, Xinhua reported.
Most of the injuries were caused by concussion and flying glass, according to Bao Shenggang, vice-director of the publicity department of the city government in Beihai, which administers Hepu county.
A worker at the factory said injured workers had been treated and most had been sent home.
'We don't know exactly how many people were inside the factory building at the time of the explosion,' he said.
The electricity supply to other parts of the factory had been shut off to reduce the risk of further accidents, according to Xinhua.
Liao Jisong, a doctor at the hospital in Gongguan, was nearby at the time of the blast. He said he saw a mushroom cloud caused by the explosion before he joined 150 firefighters and police who rushed to the scene, a report on Xinhua's website said.
The blast was the first large fireworks explosion in Hepu county in 15 years, said Mr Bao. The county is known for its fireworks and pearl industries.
'Fireworks production is a relatively dangerous business. Despite frequent inspections by government departments, it is very difficult to ensure it is 100 per cent safe. Like traffic accidents, there are always possibilities for [accidents] to occur,' Mr Bao said.
He could not say how many workers were employed by fireworks factories in Hepu county. But the Hefeng factory where the blast occured was among Beihai's biggest fireworks producers, he said.
Following the blast, all fireworks factories in the county were closed for safety inspections, Xinhua said.
Elsewhere in Guangxi, four workers were killed and three injured in a blast at a fireworks factory in Binyang county this week, China News Service reported.
Last month 21 people were killed in a fireworks explosion in Fujian province and two people were killed in an explosion in Guizhou.
