An explosion at a fireworks manufacturing plant in China's Hunan province killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others on Monday afternoon, according to Chinese state media. The blast struck the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, a county-level city administered by Changsha, Hunan's provincial capital, at around 4:40 p.m. local time. Some accounts put the death toll as high as 26, with dozens more wounded.

The force of the explosion was severe enough to shatter doors and windows in nearby villages and scatter debris across surrounding roads. Residents in the area were evacuated, and a three-kilometre exclusion zone was established around the factory after two gunpowder storage facilities on the site were identified as being at risk of secondary explosions. Nearly 500 firefighters, rescue workers, and medical personnel were deployed to the scene to search for survivors and manage the ongoing hazard.

President Xi Jinping, who typically issues formal directives only after major disasters, called for a swift investigation to determine the cause of the blast and demanded that those responsible be held to account. He also ordered authorities across all regions to draw lessons from the incident, and instructed officials to strengthen risk screening and safety controls in high-risk industries to better protect lives and property. The directive follows a broader call Xi made last week for improvements to China's national disaster response capacity.

The accident highlights the persistent dangers associated with China's dominant role in global fireworks production. Last year, China exported $1.14 billion worth of fireworks, accounting for more than two-thirds of global sales. Hunan province, and Liuyang in particular, sits at the heart of that industry, making it both an economic hub and a recurring site of industrial safety concerns. The cause of Monday's explosion remains under investigation.