Get the latest news and updates from Dawn
BEIJING: The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said on Tuesday.
The explosion occurred at around 4:43pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Following the blast, all fireworks makers in Hunan’s provincial capital Changsha, which administers Liuyang, had been ordered to stop production ahead of safety inspections, CCTV said.
Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains.
