20 January 2016•Update: 20 January 2016
BEIJING
At least three people were killed and 53 others injured after blasts tore through a fireworks factory in China’s eastern Jiangxi province Wednesday.
The emergency management office of Shangrao city announced that another person was reported missing in Guangfeng district, renowned for its three century-long role in fireworks production.
The initial explosion that occurred shortly after midnight was followed by several others, with state news agency Xinhua also reporting that minor blasts continued almost eight hours later.
The incident resulted in the evacuation of more than 1,000 people as buildings suffered damage due to shock waves.
The injured have been transported to nearby hospitals.
According to Xinhua, all the fireworks facilities in Yangkou Township had the required production permits, but the chiefs of the plant where the blasts occurred have been taken into custody.
In late December, three people were killed and four others wounded after an explosion rocked a workshop holding illegal fireworks in central Henan province.
In Sept. 2014, an explosion at a fireworks factory in south-central Hunan province left more than 10 people dead and over 30 others injured.
