Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 11, 2003
Death Toll from Fireworks Plant Explosion Rises to Seven
The death toll from Tuesday's explosion in a fireworks plant in Beihai City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has risen to seven, with one missing, local officials said.
The death toll from Tuesday's explosion in a fireworks plant in Beihai City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has risen to seven, with one missing, local officials said.
The officials did not give the number of those injured in the accident. A report released earlier on Wednesday said four people were killed and 46 injured in the deadly blast, with another two missing.
The explosion occurred at 4:48 p.m. Tuesday at the Gongguan Export Fireworks Plant. Clearance efforts are going on slowly as the power had been cut off in case there were still unignited explosives at the spot.
Beginning Wednesday, all fireworks plants in the city are required to stop production for a safety check.
As the largest fireworks firm in Beihai, the plant employs 1,300 people and has an annual output exceeding 100 million yuan (12million US dollars).
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.