Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BEIJING (AP) — An explosion at a fireworks factory in southern China killed 12 people and injured 33 others, the local government said Tuesday.
Two people were also missing following Monday's blast, which shook Nanyang Export Fireworks Factory, the city of Liling in Hunan province said. It revised the injured toll down from 38 because it said five people who had been transferred between hospitals were counted twice.
It did not say what caused the explosion but said it was a work safety incident. The factory is properly licensed, it said.
Workplace accidents are common in China because of lax enforcement of safety regulations, although safety standards are improving.
China is the world's largest producer of fireworks, which are widely used to celebrate the lunar new year. The festival falls in February in 2015.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
