BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to search for people who are still unaccounted for and save the injured after an explosion at a fireworks plant in central China's Hunan province on Monday afternoon left at least 21 people killed and 61 others injured.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, issued an instruction ordering strengthened risk screening and hazard control in key sectors, enhanced public safety management, and efforts to safeguard people's lives and property.
The Chinese leader demanded proper handling of the aftermath and a prompt investigation into the accident, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable.
Authorities across regions and departments must draw profound lessons from the accident and reinforce responsibility for workplace safety, he stressed.
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Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged efforts to strengthen workplace safety in key industries and sectors, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of major accidents.
The explosion occurred at 4:43 pm on Monday at the plant of Huasheng fireworks manufacturing and display company in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha, the capital city of Hunan.
More than 480 rescuers in five teams have been mobilized for the rescue, with three rescue robots deployed.
As the explosion site is located near two black powder warehouses, the rescuers have evacuated nearby residents and set up a buffer zone to prevent a secondary accident.
As of 8 am on Tuesday, the rescuers had confirmed the casualties following the first round of searching. The injured have been rushed to the hospital for treatment and the second round of searching is underway.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched experts to the scene to guide the emergency rescue efforts.
The person in charge of the company has been detained by police and the cause of the accident is being investigated.
