8 dead in fireworks shop blast at start of China’s Lunar New Year holiday

The Ministry of Emergency Management has warned officials of the urgent need to prevent a repeat of the fireworks explosion that killed eight people in Jiangsu province, eastern China, on Sunday, the start of the country’s nine-day Lunar New Year holiday.The ministry convened an emergency meeting following the blast at a fireworks shop in Dongan village in Donghai county, which happened after a villager “improperly set off fireworks near the store”.According to state broadcaster CCTV, two people sustained minor burns in the explosion. Officials from the emergency, fire, public security and health departments attended the scene. The report said “those responsible” had been taken into custody and further investigations were under way.In a statement on Monday, the ministry said that all regions had to learn from the Sunday explosion and must strengthen the supervision of all stages of fireworks production, transport, sales and use.“[Officials must] resolutely prevent similar incidents from recurring,” the ministry said in the statement issued after the meeting, which was presided over by Vice-Minister Xu Jiaai.According to the statement, all regions, as well as fireworks businesses, must carry out a thorough assessment of safety risks and dangers related to fireworks and firecrackers.