Massive explosion at a Chinese firecracker factory sends a huge mushroom cloud into the air
- A large fire triggered a series of blasts at a factory in Guanghan last night
- State TV footage shows a mushroom cloud of smoke billowing into the sky
- Other clips show locals screaming at home and on the street moments after
- The fire has been put out, and six people were wounded, authorities claimed
A Chinese firecracker factory has been reduced to rubble after a series of devastating explosions tore through the complex last night.
Terrifying footage released by Chinese state TV shows huge blasts sending a mushroom cloud into the air in the small city of Guanghan.
Local authorities claimed six people were wounded in the incident, including two who were seriously injured. No deaths have been announced.
A series of massive explosions rocked a firecracker factory last night in south-western China. State TV and social media footage shows the blasts sending a mushroom cloud into the air
A video from state TV shows the factory complex completely wrecked by the terrifying event
All of the injured were being treated in hospital as of 2am local time, according to a social media post from the Guanghan propaganda department.
Authorities were investigating the case, the Guanghan government said.
A video from state broadcaster CCTV shows the factory complex completely wrecked after the fire was put out earlier today.
Guanghan is a prefecture-level city with a population of around 600,000. It is supervised by nearby Deyang city in the south-western province of Sichuan.
Footage uploaded by state media People’s Daily shows a young woman living near the factory yelling ‘oh god, what is that’ as the explosion occurred outside her home window in Guanghan
A video circulating on social media shows horrified locals screaming ‘run quick, run quick’ as they scrambled to move to safety moments after the incident. Officials said six were injured
The official post stated that the explosion was triggered by a fire, which broke out at around 9:10pm inside the production section of the Jin Yan Hua Pao factory.
The flames led to the explosions at about 10:25pm.
It is unclear if there were any people in the factory at the time, but the Guanghan government said its production had been suspended since June 28.
One video published by state media People’s Daily shows a young woman living near the factory yelling ‘oh god, what is that’ as the explosion occurred outside her home window.
Another clip uploaded by the same outlet captures the moment a mushroom cloud of smoke rising into the sky following several loud bangs.
A separate video circulating on social media shows horrified locals screaming ‘run quick, run quick’ as they scrambled to move to safety moments after the incident.
The incident took place in Guanghan, a prefecture-level city supervised by nearby Deyang
The fire brigade in Deyang dispatched 27 fire engines and 83 firefighters to the site after being alert of the flames at around 9:10pm, a social media post from Sichuan Firefighting said last night.
It is said the factory complex comprised single-storey buildings built with bricks and concrete. It was used to store firecrackers, fireworks as well as firecracker leads.
Upon the officers’ arrival at the Yuansheng Village of Nanfeng Town, where the factory is, the fire was said to be raging.
The rescuers immediately moved nearby residents to safety, and a series of explosions started to happen, the statement said.
Firefighters had to retreat from the factory by about 500 metres (1,640 feet) to avoid getting injured in the blasts.
The fire had been put out by 6am today. About 46 residents who were affected by the incident have been arranged to stay at a military base, authorities said.