A series of explosions yesterday ripped through a mainland fireworks factory run by a Hong Kong businessman, killing nine people and injuring more than 50 others, state media reported.
The blast in a warehouse at the Panda Fireworks Manufacturing Co complex, in Wanzai county, Jiangxi, triggered explosions that flattened 10 workshops, Xinhua said.
It was the second major fireworks-related blast this year in Wanzai county. In March, a fireworks explosion at a school in Fanglin killed at least 42 people, most of them children.
Officials said the factory, opened in 1995 in the town of Huangmao, near Yichun, was run by Hong Kong businessman Chiu Wai-ping.
The report quoted Liu Dingming, vice-mayor of Yichun city which has jurisdiction over Wanzai, as saying Mr Chiu had obtained all legal documents and a fire safety certificate.
It did not say if authorities would hold him responsible for the incident.