A rescuer at the site of an explosion that killed 26 people and injured 61 in Hunan’s Liuyang city has described the dangerous and extremely difficult clean-up mission amid gunpowder and sparks after he and others were wounded by secondary blasts on Tuesday morning.
An excavator operator surnamed Xiao said he volunteered to aid rescue work at the site of the initial fireworks plant blast which occurred at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company on Monday.
Xiao described receiving multiple wounds during a further explosion the following day after scattered explosives were ignited by smouldering embers.
“I received a call at 5am that the government was dispatching excavators to the rescue. I felt it was my responsibility to go. I arrived at the explosion site at 6am and started digging with more than a dozen drivers,” Xiao told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday.
“The air was filled with a strong burnt gunpowder smell during the rescue, and there were still sporadic sparks at the accident site.”
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China fireworks factory explosion kills at least 21 people, injures over 60 others
