A tragic explosion occurred at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan on May 4, resulting in significant casualties. The initial report of 3 deaths and 25 injuries has since risen to 26 deaths and 61 injuries. The injured individuals mostly suffered from bone injuries, ranging in age from their twenties to sixty-eight. The explosion site was devastating, with the core area of the factory completely destroyed, resembling a battlefield ruin as seen from aerial footage.
Around 4:43 pm on May 4, an explosion occurred in a workshop at Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Liuyang City. Following the explosion, the injured were taken to two hospitals, with ages ranging from 20s to 68, predominantly suffering from bone injuries.
A press conference regarding the explosion was held in Changsha, Hunan on May 5, where officials stated that the Liuyang fireworks factory explosion has resulted in 26 deaths and 61 injuries.
However, some individuals are still missing.
In the early hours of May 5, the scene was still enveloped in yellow smoke. Aerial photographs taken on the morning of May 5 revealed that the site of the fireworks factory had turned black from the fire, with the houses in the core area of the factory severely damaged, with almost no intact structures remaining. Debris was scattered around, and white smoke continued to rise from multiple locations.
The factory premises still contained two black powder warehouses and a large quantity of unexploded fireworks, leading to sporadic secondary explosions.
Several hundred meters away from the core site, the shockwave from the explosion shattered windows in nearby houses.
According to the China News Weekly, the explosion shattered the glass at a resort 600 meters away from the blast site, forcing villagers to evacuate. Many of the injured were frontline workers, causing significant financial hardship to their families.
There are still two black powder storage facilities on-site at the fireworks factory, posing a considerable danger.
Mr. Wang, a resident living seven to eight kilometers away from the Huasheng Fireworks Factory, stated that nearby hospitals were overflowing with the injured. He mentioned, “The exact number of people inside the factory is unclear. It was normal working hours, and they didn’t have a day off. In one workshop with twenty people, only two managed to escape. Three workshops and the office building were completely destroyed, and the owner died in the explosion.” He added, “Several kilometers are sealed off, and no one can enter.”
Currently, all fireworks and firecracker production enterprises in Liuyang City have ceased operations for a comprehensive rectification.
In response to the Liuyang fireworks factory explosion in Changsha, Hunan, Xinhua News Agency reported that a State Council accident investigation team will be established to “strengthen criminal enforcement and hold individuals accountable.”
According to public records, Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Liuyang was established in 2000, employing between 50 to 99 people. Local fireworks factory owners in Liuyang mentioned that the factory’s scale was moderate within the local industry and was not in its peak production season. They noted that if the products were for export, it would always be a busy season, whereas for domestic sales, it depended on market demand.
Public records revealed that the Liuyang fireworks factory was fined 15,000 yuan in February for illegally storing potassium chlorate and benzoate, and penalized again in April for quality issues, with underlying problems unresolved. Prior to the explosion, the factory had conducted a “Safety Production Warning Education Meeting,” which was criticized as perfunctory.
Fireworks production is a critical industry in Liuyang. Last year, official reports stated that Liuyang city was home to 431 fireworks and firecracker production enterprises, holding approximately 60% of the domestic market share.
Liuyang, known as the “Town of Fireworks,” has experienced frequent accidents in recent years: in 2025, the Yihelong Fireworks Factory explosion injured 5 people, and in 2019, the Bixi Fireworks Factory explosion resulted in 13 deaths and 13 injuries.
There has been a long-standing issue of “three-excessive-one-change” (excessive amount of explosives, overstaffing, exceeding work boundaries, and unauthorized modifications) in some enterprises, where safety fines are viewed as merely a nominal fee.