Twelve people die in fireworks explosion at Lunar New Year celebrations in eastern China | World News

At least 12 people have been killed after an explosion and fire at a fireworks shop in eastern China, the country’s state media has said.

Emergency services put out the blaze at the unnamed shop in the town of Xiangyang, in central Hubei province on Wednesday afternoon, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Flames engulfed a 50sqm (538sqft) area of the premises, state broadcaster CCTV said.

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Firework-related blasts are not uncommon in China, where they are used widely and often indiscriminately during celebrations such as the Lunar New Year holiday, which began on Tuesday.

On Sunday, eight people died and two others were injured after a similar incident at a fireworks shop in eastern Jiangsu province, also in eastern China.

Someone had set off fireworks too close to the shop, according to officials.

In June, a blast at a fireworks factory ⁠in neighbouring Hunan killed nine ​people and injured 26 ​others.

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Pyrotechnics have been banned in some Chinese cities for safety and air pollution reasons, but the measures are controversial ⁠as firecrackers are traditionally used ​to scare off evil spirits and remain ​central to the new year celebrations.

The latest incident comes a day after the Ministry of Emergency Management warned that “fireworks are still the biggest risks during the Spring Festival period”.

Investigators are now looking into the cause of the Xiangyang explosion, Xinhua said.