Rescue workers recovered nine bodies from the exploded shell of a
fireworks factory in East China yesterday, following a huge blast
which could be heard more than 60 kilometres away.
Up
to 200 workers were believed to have been in the Panda Fireworks
Company in Wanzai County,
Jiangxi Province, when the factory was destroyed at 9:45
am.
Medical teams worked round the clock to treat 60 injured workers
while search teams scoured the rubble for anyone still trapped.
According to initial investigation, the blasts were caused by human
error. Health and safety chiefs promised a full and comprehensive
report into the disaster. Local sources said the Panda Fireworks
Company, a solely Hong Kong-funded enterprise in the mountainous
town of Huangmao, was the biggest factory of its type in the
area.
A
local firefighter said that eight fire engines and 500 emergency
personnel had rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the
catastrophe at 10:20 am.
"All my colleagues and public security police have been called in
to help following the disaster," he said from the factory site.
Fears that the death toll could rise further were raised because
the factory was working at its capacity.
(China
Daily December 31, 2001)