All Liuyang fireworks factories suspended after deadly blast

All fireworks production factories in Liuyang, Hunan province, have suspended operation as of 7 pm on Monday following a deadly explosion in the city earlier that day, according to Dai Shuiwen, mayor of Liuyang, at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

"We have closed fireworks plants and carried out extensive safety inspections and rectification campaigns across all sectors simultaneously, in order to close regulatory loopholes, consolidate enterprises' primary safety responsibilities, and fully elevate the safety level," he said.

The explosion, which occurred at around 4:40 pm on Monday at a facility belonging to Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha, the capital of Hunan, has resulted in 26 deaths and 61 injuries as of Tuesday noon.

Liuyang is a major fireworks production center in China, accounting for about 60 percent of the domestic market and roughly 70 percent of its exports. The industry's output value reached 50.58 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) in 2025, data from local authorities showed.

Huasheng Fireworks was founded in 2000, according to qcc.com, an enterprise credit inquiry system platform.

On the day of the explosion, during the May Day holiday, a fireworks show attracted numerous tourists to the city.

Wu Pinghui, director and Party secretary of Changsha's emergency management department, said at the conference that by focusing on production, operation, transportation, ignition and display, product quality, and export, the authorities would investigate and penalize such behaviors as irregular subcontracting, excessive production and business operation beyond approved limits, and prohibited products, as well as independent production by multiple shareholders.

"We will crack down on illegal and unlawful acts, shut down and phase out illegal business entities, remove and destroy over-limit and prohibited products, publicly expose typical cases, and criticize regions with prominent problems. Efforts will be made to ensure all illegal and unlawful acts are effectively rectified," he added.