BEIJING: Explosions at three fireworks factories in northern China killed a total of nine people, a news report said Saturday, as producers rushed to fill orders for firecrackers to celebrate the Lunar New Year next month.
The blasts occurred Thursday and Friday in three cities, all in Hebei province south of Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
China suffers hundreds of deaths a year in fires and explosions in fireworks factories, despite a safety crackdown launched in the industry following a series of disasters in 2001.
Fatalities usually surge as workshops rush to fill orders for the Lunar New Year holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, which this year begins Feb. 9.
The first explosion Thursday morning in the city of Hengshui killed two people, Xinhua said. That afternoon, it said, a blast in an illegal workshop in the city of Xingtai killed the owner's wife and son.
Five more people were killed in the third explosion in the city of Dingzhou on Friday, the report said.
The Hebei industrial safety office issued a notice Saturday calling for "stepped-up efforts to ensure safety in local firework production and a smooth celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival holiday,'' Xinhua said. - AP
The blasts occurred Thursday and Friday in three cities, all in Hebei province south of Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
China suffers hundreds of deaths a year in fires and explosions in fireworks factories, despite a safety crackdown launched in the industry following a series of disasters in 2001.
Fatalities usually surge as workshops rush to fill orders for the Lunar New Year holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, which this year begins Feb. 9.
The first explosion Thursday morning in the city of Hengshui killed two people, Xinhua said. That afternoon, it said, a blast in an illegal workshop in the city of Xingtai killed the owner's wife and son.
Five more people were killed in the third explosion in the city of Dingzhou on Friday, the report said.
The Hebei industrial safety office issued a notice Saturday calling for "stepped-up efforts to ensure safety in local firework production and a smooth celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival holiday,'' Xinhua said. - AP
