Overview

• The blast occurred at around 8:23 a.m. on June 16 at the Hunan Shanzhou Fireworks Company in a mountainous area about 60 km north of Changde.
• Remote-controlled water cannons were deployed over more than 20 hours to extinguish the fire amid limited on-site water sources.
• China’s Ministry of Emergency Management sent a team to oversee the rescue and is now leading the probe into the incident’s cause.
• Governor Mao Weiming visited the scene on June 17 and called for a thorough investigation to hold those responsible to account.
• The accident follows a recent chemical plant explosion in Shandong and highlights a broader trend of industrial mishaps linked to lax safety standards in China.