On February 22nd, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, in Xiangyin, Hunan Province, a man was killed on the spot when fireworks he was setting off malfunctioned and exploded into his chest. The incident has raised concerns about the quality of fireworks.
The sister of the man posted on February 23rd that her 33-year-old brother tragically lost his life due to the explosion of fireworks hitting his chest while he was setting them off.
The term “exploding in the barrel” refers to fireworks burning inside the launching tube, where defects in the projectile, excessive propellant, or blockage inside the tube can cause the firework to explode within the tube or at low altitude instead of flying correctly into the sky.
On February 24th, the local community neighborhood committee told the Beijing News that the tragedy occurred on the 22nd when the man ignited the fireworks, causing an explosion that hit his chest, and he fell to the ground. “He died on the spot.” It was explained that the fireworks causing the explosion had greater power and could reach a distance of forty to fifty meters. The investigation is ongoing to determine if there were quality issues with the fireworks.
The Xiangbin Town government responded that the incident took place in a designated area for setting off fireworks and described it as an “accidental event,” with relevant investigations currently underway.
The official response has sparked skepticism from netizens, with comments such as “Is this really an accident? It’s clearly a tragic accident!” and “The death was caused by issues with the quality of the fireworks.” Some criticized the shifting of responsibility away from the fireworks, saying, “Originally, the responsibility was related to the quality of the fireworks, but now it’s ‘unrelated.'”
Some netizens also expressed concerns about the increasing size and loudness of fireworks and firecrackers, stating, “With metal casing, if mishandled, isn’t this basically a small grenade?” Additionally, there were remarks about the inconsistent quality of fireworks.