China investigates 3 more officials over Hunan fireworks factory explosion that killed 37

Anti-corruption watchdogs in China’s central Hunan province have ensnared multiple emergency management and local government officials in a sweeping investigation following a catastrophic Fireworks factory explosion that killed 37 people last month.The provincial discipline inspection commission announced on Thursday that three senior figures within the emergency management system were under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law”.The officials include Lei Min, deputy director of the safety production emergency rescue command centre of the Hunan-provincial-department-of-emergency-management" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="145040" data-entity-type="organization">Hunan Provincial Department of Emergency Management; Zhong Caifa, former deputy director of the Changsha Municipal Emergency Management Bureau; and Yang Hai, the deputy party chief and director of the Liuyang-municipal-emergency-management-bureau" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="145042" data-entity-type="organization">Liuyang Municipal Emergency Management Bureau.Zhong Caifa, former deputy director of the Changsha Municipal Emergency Management Bureau, is among officials being investigated. Photo: SohuThe probes come less than a week after a similar hammer fell on Liuyang’s local administration.