Explosion at China fireworks factory kills 26 people

An explosion at a fireworks factory in China's Hunan province has killed 26 people and left 61 wounded, according to state media.

Rescue operations have wrapped up at the Huasheng Fireworks plant in the southern city of Liuyang, after an explosion on Monday afternoon forced authorities to evacuate everyone within a 3km (1.9 mile) radius of the plant.

Authorities deployed more than 1,500 emergency responders, along with dogs, drones and robots. They rescued seven people who were trapped under debris.

Police, who are investigating the cause of the blast, have taken "control measures" against the staff in charge of the fireworks company, Chinese state media reported.

Authorities said that two gunpowder warehouses within the factory area had posed a high risk amid rescue efforts, state media reported.

Besides evacuating people near the fireworks plant, rescuers also implemented measures like humidifying the area to "prevent secondary accidents during the rescue".

The impact of the blast was so destructive that windows of a nearby residential building were shattered, a CCTV reporter noted in a televised broadcast from the scene.

The ages of the injured range from their 20s to 60s, and some suffered bone injuries after being hit by flying debris, said the CCTV report.

President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to search for the missing and save the injured. He also called for an investigation into the accident to hold those responsible to account, state media reported.

Local authorities said on Tuesday that they were monitoring the vicinity's water and air qualities, and that the relevant environmental indicators were normal.

Speaking to Beijing News, a resident who lives about 1km away from the factory said villagers now have to take detours after stones were blasted onto the road.

"The glass windows in our homes were shattered, aluminum window frames were deformed, and even the stainless-steel doors were twisted out of shape," she said.

Another resident told the news outlet that she has left the village out of fear.