A massive explosion at a fireworks manufacturing plant in central China’s Henan province has killed at least 26 people and injured 61 others, according to provincial authorities, in what officials describe as the deadliest industrial accident in the region this year. The blast occurred early Thursday at a facility in the city of Xinxiang, prompting a sweeping rescue operation that involved emergency responders, military medics, and local police securing the perimeter as survivors were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
The accident has drawn immediate scrutiny from China’s State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), which has launched an investigation into the plant’s operational protocols and safety compliance. Local officials confirmed that the facility, which produced fireworks for domestic and export markets, had been operating without a valid environmental impact assessment, a requirement under China’s Safety Production Law since 2021. The Xinxiang municipal government suspended all fireworks production in the city pending further reviews, though no immediate shutdown of the industry was announced.
Rescue efforts continued through Friday as authorities sifted through debris and assessed structural damage to nearby residential areas. Witnesses described the explosion as a “deafening roar” that shattered windows up to 500 meters away, with some reporting hearing the blast as far as 3 kilometers from the plant. The Xinxiang Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a public advisory warning residents near the site to monitor for symptoms of toxic exposure, though no chemical leaks were confirmed. A spokeswoman for the Henan provincial government stated that all injured workers had been transported to designated hospitals, with critical cases referred to the province’s top trauma center in Zhengzhou.
The incident has reignited debates over China’s fireworks industry, which employs an estimated 1.2 million workers nationwide and contributes billions in annual revenue. In 2023 alone, China’s State Council recorded 1,476 industrial accidents involving explosions or fires, with fireworks-related incidents accounting for 18% of fatalities. The Xinxiang plant, owned by a privately held company registered in 2019, had previously faced minor violations for improper storage of pyrotechnics in 2022, according to internal SAWS records reviewed by provincial inspectors.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) dispatched a high-level team to Henan to coordinate with local authorities, though no official statement on compensation for victims or families has been issued. The MEM’s last major intervention in a fireworks-related disaster occurred in 2021, when a factory explosion in Guangdong killed 14 workers and prompted nationwide safety audits. This time, the scale of casualties has prompted calls from labor rights groups for stricter enforcement of safety regulations, particularly in provinces where fireworks production is concentrated.
As of Friday evening, the Xinxiang government had not released the names of the deceased or details on the plant’s ownership structure. The provincial prosecutor’s office announced it would review the case for potential criminal negligence, a standard procedure in industrial fatalities involving willful violations. Meanwhile, fireworks traders in neighboring provinces reported disruptions to supply chains, with some cancelling orders pending clarity on whether production would resume.
