Blast at Chinese fireworks factory kills 29, injures 141

BEIJING -- An explosion sparked by hot weather ripped through a fireworks factory in northern China, killing 29 people and injuring at least 141, state media said Tuesday.

The blast took place Monday night at the Guoxi fireworks factory in the town of Wangkou in Hebei province, China Central Television reported.

There were 169 workers at the factory at the time of the blast, which occurred after gunpowder spontaneously ignited because of hot weather, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing local officials.

The factory's main workroom was destroyed and buildings up to 100 yards away were damaged, according to Xinhua.

Piles of rubble

"I thought it was an earthquake. I was really scared. My sister and I just ran out of the house," Qian Yun, a 19-year-old living about 3 miles from the factory, said by telephone.

Another villager, Zhang Fangjie, was working on his farm at the time of the explosion.

"I heard three or four explosions in a row and saw black smoke rising in the distance," the 40-year-old Zhang said.

Photos on Chinese news Web sites showed the brick building reduced to piles of rubble and the charred skeletons of a motorcycle and minibus. Portions of shattered walls were left standing. Rescue workers were shown pulling injured people from the wreckage and carrying a person away on a stretcher.

Xinhua said on its Web site that local authorities approved the factory for fireworks production in December 2000.

Fatal explosions are frequent in China's fireworks factories despite a safety crackdown launched in early 2002 following a series of high-profile accidents.

The industry employs hundreds of thousands of people, many working at home or in small factories where most manufacturing is done by hand.