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Victoria Bela

Twelve people were killed in an explosion at a firework shop in Hubei in central China on Wednesday, just days after eight people died in a similar incident in a nearby province.
The accident happened just before 2.30pm on the second day of Lunar New Year in Zhengji township in the city of Xiangyang, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The report added that the subsequent fire spread across the premises and was put out within an hour. An investigation into the cause is under way.
The explosion followed another deadly blast in Lianyungang in Jiangsu province on Sunday, the first day of the nine-day holiday period, which killed eight people and injured two others.
The authorities blamed the incident on improper handling of fireworks and detained a number of people as investigations continued.
Traditionally, fireworks and firecrackers are set off across China during the Lunar New Year period. They are seen as a way to welcome prosperity and good luck and ward off evil spirits.
But over the years, many provinces and cities have imposed curbs and even blanket bans due to air quality and safety concerns. However, many cities have lifted their bans in recent years in favour of controlled management.
On Monday, the Ministry of Emergency Management called for all regions to learn from the Jiangsu blast and strengthen the supervision of the firework industry.

The ministry said officials must “resolutely prevent” similar incidents, adding that all regions should carry out a thorough assessment of the safety risks involved.
The ministry reinforced the message in a holiday safety briefing with provincial officials the following day, and said afterwards that fireworks and firecrackers continued to pose the greatest risk during the Spring Festival holiday.
It said there was a need to maintain constant “vigilance” and monitoring to contribute to nationwide safety during the holidays.
The ministry added the country must “resolutely prevent” major and catastrophic incidents and work to reduce the risk of other serious incidents.


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The incident was the second deadly firework incident over the current holiday period. Photo: Handout

Emergency crews at the scene following the explosion in Zhengji. Photo: Handout

Eight people have died and two were injured in an explosion at a fireworks shop in Jiangsu province, eastern China, on Sunday. Photo: Weibo

Death toll rises to 9 after explosion at north China rare earth steel plant

Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at a steel factory in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region in north China on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Damaged buildings are seen following the steel factory explosion in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua via AP

News

China

Politics

The blast in Hubei came days after a similar incident in Jiangsu that prompted calls from the government to prevent a repetition


The blast in Hubei came days after a similar incident in Jiangsu that prompted calls from the government to prevent a repetition.


Safety in China

Lunar New Year

12 killed in China’s second deadly Lunar New Year firework explosion

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The blast in Hubei came days after a similar incident in Jiangsu that prompted calls from the government to prevent a repetition

The blast in Hubei came days after a similar incident in Jiangsu that prompted calls from the government to prevent a repetition