BEIJING: The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said Tuesday. The explosion occurred at around 4:43 pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Following the blast, all fireworks makers in Hunan&#39;s provincial capital Changsha, which administers Liuyang, had been ordered to stop production ahead of safety inspections, CCTV said. Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains. Drone footage from CCTV taken a day later showed a swathe of smoldering debris where buildings had stood, with rescue workers and excavators scouring the rubble. Smoke continued to rise from some buildings left standing, many of them with their roofs blown off. Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that another five people had died since earlier reports that 21 were killed. &quot;We feel deeply grieved and filled with remorse,&quot; Chen said, adding that search and rescue work was &quot;basically complete&quot;. The central government had sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers had been urgently dispatched to the site, according to CCTV. They had established a 3-kilometre control zone around the site and evacuated people nearby. Police had apprehended the company&#39;s management while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV said. President Xi Jinping had called for &quot;all-out efforts&quot; to treat the injured, search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported. Liuyang is a major fireworks hub, producing around 60 % of the fireworks sold in China and 70% of those exported. Industrial accidents, including in the fireworks industry, are common in China due to lax safety standards. Last year, an explosion at another fireworks factory in Hunan killed nine people, and in 2023, three people were killed after blasts struck residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin. In February, separate explosions at fireworks shops in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces killed 12 and eight people.

Firefighters spray water at the scene of a fireworks factory explosion in Liuyang, in China’s central Hunan province on May 5, 2026. (AFP)

China

A fireworks factory explosion in central China kills 26 and injures 61, prompting safety shutdowns, evacuations, and an investigation, as authorities deploy rescuers and pledge accountability for the disaster.

China fireworks factory explosion kills 26, injures 61

OSLO: The US embassy in Oslo was hit by an explosion in the early hours of Sunday but no one was injured, police in the Norwegian capital said, adding the cause was not immediately known. The explosion occurred around 1:00 am local time (0000 GMT), the Oslo police department said in a statement. Public broadcaster NRK quoted police incident commander Michael Dellemyr saying the blast hit the entrance of the embassy&#39;s consular section. &quot;At around 1:00 am we received several reports of an explosion. We arrived shortly afterwards and confirmed that there had been an explosion that hit the US embassy,&quot; he told NRK. &quot;There is minor damage,&quot; he said. &quot;We are not going to comment on anything related to the type of damage, what it is that has exploded and similar details, beyond the fact that there has been an explosion&quot; because &quot;it is very early in the investigation&quot;, he said. He later told TV2 that police &quot;have an idea of the cause&quot;, adding: &quot;It appears to us that this is an act carried out by someone.&quot; He said investigators were talking to witnesses, and TV2 reported that a bomb squad was at the scene. The police statement said investigators were in contact with the embassy about the incident and there was a huge police deployment on site. Residents near the embassy said they heard a loud blast. A 16-year-old identified only as Edvard told TV2 that he was watching television when he heard the blast. &quot;My mother and I first thought it came from our house so we looked around a little, but then we saw the flashing lights outside the window and a ton of police,&quot; he said. &quot;There were police dogs and drones and police with automatic weapons and helicopters in the air,&quot; he said. A large area around the embassy was blocked off and police were stopping cars driving near the area, media outlets reported. US embassies have been placed on high alert in the Middle East over American military operations in Iran and several have faced attacks as Tehran hits back at industrial and diplomatic targets. But Dellemyr said there was no indication as yet that the incident at the embassy in Oslo was connected to the conflict. &quot;We&#39;re not connecting it to the conflict. It&#39;s far too early for that,&quot; he told TV2.

Europe

An explosion struck the US embassy’s consular entrance in Oslo around 1:00 am Sunday, causing minor damage but no injuries, police said, adding the cause remains under investigation, though officers believe it was likely an intentional act and not yet linked to wider regional conflict.

Explosion at US embassy in Oslo, no injuries

BEIJING: An explosion on Saturday at a biotech factory in northern China has left at least eight people dead, AFP reported, quoting Chinese state media. State news agency Xinhua had previously reported that seven people died and one person was missing after the Saturday morning explosion at the Jiapeng biotech company in Shanxi province, citing local authorities. Later, Xinhua said eight were dead, adding that the firm&#39;s legal representative had been taken into custody. The company is located in Shanyin County, about 400 kilometres west of Beijing. Xinhua said cleanup operations were ongoing, noting that reporters observed dark yellow smoke emanating from the explosion site. Authorities have established a team to investigate the cause of the blast, the report added. Industrial accidents are common in China due to lax safety standards. In late January, an explosion at a steel factory in the neighbouring province of Inner Mongolia left at least nine people dead.

In this file photo, taken on November 21, 2025, the local fire and rescue detachment is working to extinguish the fire in Anyang, Central China's Henan Province. (CCTV News/File)

The cause is under investigation, amid ongoing concerns over industrial accidents and safety standards. 

North China factory explosion kills 8: State media

MUNICH: Police closed the Oktoberfest fairgrounds Wednesday morning following a bomb threat from the suspected perpetrator of an explosion in northern Munich, city officials said. At least one person&#39;s death was believed to be connected to the explosion at a residential building early Wednesday, which Munich police said was deliberately set on fire and part of a domestic dispute. It was not immediately clear whether the deceased was the suspected perpetrator or someone else. Another person, who was not considered to be a danger to the public, remained missing. Specialized teams were called to the scene to defuse booby traps in the building, police said. Officials discovered the bomb threat to Oktoberfest in a letter from the alleged perpetrator. Police searched the fairgrounds for other explosive devices and asked workers to leave the area. Authorities said the festival will be closed at least until 5 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Wednesday. This year&rsquo;s Oktoberfest began on Sept. 20 and ends Oct. 5. The world&rsquo;s largest beer festival usually attracts up to 6 million visitors.

Police closed the Oktoberfest fairgrounds Wednesday morning following a bomb threat from the suspected perpetrator of an explosion in northern Munich, city officials said.

Articles tagged with "Explosion"

China fireworks factory explosion kills 26, injures 61

Explosion at US embassy in Oslo, no injuries

North China factory explosion kills 8: State media

Munich Oktoberfest fairgrounds closed after bomb threat and deadly explosion