Exclusive‘Gunpowder, sparks’: volunteer hurt at China fireworks blast scene tells of clean-up risk
Witnesses describe overwhelming smell of burnt gunpowder from site of explosion as authorities assess damage to nearby houses from the blast
The excavator operator, surnamed Xiao, said he volunteered to assist rescue efforts after Monday’s initial blast at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in the city of Liuyang. The explosion at around 4.40pm killed 26 people and injured 61, authorities said.
Xiao said he was injured in a secondary blast the next day when smouldering embers ignited scattered explosives. Several other rescuers were also hurt, he said.
“I received a call at 5am that the government was dispatching excavators to the rescue. I felt it was my responsibility to go. I arrived at the explosion site at 6am and started digging with more than a dozen drivers,” Xiao told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday.
“The air was filled with a strong burnt gunpowder smell during the rescue, and there were still sporadic sparks at the accident site.”
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Xiao said his main task was to work with firefighters to remove remaining black gunpowder to reduce further risk at the explosion site.