Five Dead in Hunan Residential Fire; Xi Orders Probe After Factory Blast

The blaze occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday in Yanfeng District of Hengyang City. The injured are receiving medical treatment. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Earlier on May 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered an investigation after an explosion ripped through a fireworks factory in central China and the surrounding area, killing at least 26 people and injuring 61.

Xi's order came a day after the explosion at the Huasheng fireworks plant in Liuyang, a city of 1.5 million people in central Hunan province. Xi stated that "those responsible must be held accountable" and urged "all-out efforts to search for people who were still unaccounted for," according to the Xinhua news agency. The local government dispatched 482 emergency personnel to the site and evacuated nearby areas due to the risk of further explosions at the factory's warehouses, state media reported.

On May 2, a fire broke out at a foot massage parlour in Lingbao City, central China's Henan Province, leaving six trapped people dead after emergency treatment failed, the local fire and rescue department had said.

The Lingbao 119 emergency centre dispatched rescue teams to the site immediately after receiving the alert.

Apart from the six trapped people who were pulled out and later had died despite emergency treatment, five others were rescued without injuries. Strong traces of smoke and scorching were found at the scene.

Earlier on April 25, a fire at a residential building in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, left five people dead and two injured, the local fire-fighting and rescue bureau had said.

The blaze was reported to the local fire emergency call centre.

- IANS