Blast at firecracker workshop in northwest China kills 9

Blast at firecracker workshop in northwest China kills 9

2011-01-13 12:06:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

XI'AN, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A large explosion at a firecracker workshop in northwest China on Wednesday afternoon killed at least nine people, officials said on Thursday.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said the blast happened at around 5.30 p.m. local time at a rural household in Shendu Village of Tianjiazhuang Town in Shaanxi Province's Fengxiang County. Most of the victims were inside the house when the explosion happened.

A preliminary investigation by local police revealed that the explosion was caused by the illegal production of firecrackers with explosives. The organizers of the unlicensed production are being sought and are believed to have fled the scene.

About an hour after the explosion, rescue workers were able to pull six injured people from the debris and sent them to a local hospital. Four of them died at the hospital by 3 a.m. local time while rescuers recovered five more bodies. Two people who were near the house were also injured, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Major accidents involving fireworks are rare but occur more frequently towards the end of the year when demand is high. Many of these accidents happen in China as it is the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks.

But now the western New Year has passed, the traditional Chinese New Year holiday is approaching. In response, the Chinese government has pledged to investigate and crack down on the illegal production of firecrackers.

On December 17, fourteen people were killed when a truck carrying fireworks fuses hit a power pole in central China, causing sparks from fallen cables to ignite the fuses. A large explosion as a result destroyed the truck and several houses nearby.

And on December 12, eight people were killed and several others were injured when a room stored with fireworks exploded in a busy street in eastern China.

Other notable fireworks-related accidents happened on May 13, 2000 when twenty-three people were killed and nearly 950 others were injured when a massive fireworks explosion devastated a neighborhood in the Dutch city of Enschede.

And on February 1, 2008, twenty-two people were killed and more than 100 others were injured when an unlicensed fireworks factory exploded in the Turkish capital of Istanbul.

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