Liuyang Fireworks Factory Explosion: Actual Death Toll Significantly Exceeds Official Figures

(Image source: Weibo @ Gao Xiaojun)

[People News] A significant explosion occurred on Monday at the "Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co., Ltd." in Liuyang, Hunan, with the number of casualties continuing to rise. Initially reported as 3 dead and 25 injured, the official figures have now increased to 26 dead and 61 injured. As more footage from the scene and statements from knowledgeable sources come to light, there are growing concerns that the actual death toll may be much higher than what has been officially reported.

The Scene Almost Completely "Flattened"

Public records indicate that "Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co., Ltd." was founded in 2000 and is one of the larger mid-to-high-end fireworks companies in the region, primarily focused on exports. The company operates an 800-acre production facility and holds a "Class A qualification for fireworks and firecracker display."

(Image source: Weibo @ Gao Xiaojun)

Satellite images taken prior to the explosion reveal that the factory area housed nearly thirty neatly arranged blue buildings (including production areas and warehouses), along with a comprehensive office building, a staff canteen, and dormitories located near the factory entrance.

Following the explosion on May 4, thick smoke billowed from the site, and aerial footage indicated that all structures in the core area of the factory had been entirely "flattened," with the ground charred black, rendering the entire area almost completely "levelled."

Residents interviewed by The Dajiyuan near the factory reported, "The hospital next to us is filled with injured people. Of course, some ran out of the accident scene. Just now, while having a late-night snack, we encountered a survivor with a head wrapped in bandages. There are many women working in this factory; in one workshop with twenty people, only two managed to escape. A total of three workshops and the office building were destroyed, and the boss was killed in the explosion." "(The fireworks factory where the incident occurred) is located very close to our home. We are hesitant to speculate on the number of casualties, but rescue operations have been ongoing since the incident, and ambulances have been continuously coming and going. Many family members are still unaccounted for. It is unclear how many people were in the factory; it was during regular working hours (when the explosion occurred), and they did not take a holiday (referring to the May Day holiday)." 

Other residents added, "We still don’t know how many people are missing; many have not been found. Those in the office managed to escape. I know a woman whose son broke a window to get out of the office." "When I ran out, I was holding my child and my mother, taking a small path through the osmanthus and tea tree forests. On the way, we got into their (the woman and her son’s) car and went to my uncle's house. She mentioned that at that time, fewer than ten people managed to escape. Most were at work, and it is estimated that only a few were on break." 

Additionally, images circulating online show a netizen from Hunan commenting under a WeChat video account: "(At that time) 130 people were at work, and it was reduced to rubble."

According to a report from the mainland media outlet 'Phoenix Network', which cited a local individual involved in a family business producing fireworks, employees of Huasheng did not take a break during the mainland's 'May Day' holiday, as May is typically a peak time for fulfilling large orders, particularly for the upcoming American Independence Day on July 4. By mid to late June, Liuyang begins to implement high-temperature leave, halting production in the factory.

Analysts note that a leading company, covering 800 acres and holding Class A firing qualifications, requires a workforce of over 130 workers to maintain its production capacity, even with a combination of automated and manual assembly lines. The explosion occurred at 4:43 PM, during working hours, which is the most intense and personnel-dense period of the day, making it highly probable that the factory was operating at full capacity. Workers were engaged in high-risk tasks such as chemical mixing, loading, and sealing, and if a chain explosion were to happen at that moment, those on duty would have had almost no time to evacuate.

An official report released on the afternoon of May 5 stated that after 'five rounds of comprehensive searches', the on-site rescue operations were largely completed, confirming that the accident resulted in 26 fatalities and 61 injuries.

Analysts highlight that even when accounting for all injured individuals (regardless of the severity of their injuries), the total number of people acknowledged by the authorities as affected is only 87. This raises a critical question: where did the remaining 40 or so employees go during that fateful afternoon at 4:43 PM when 'the entire factory was reduced to rubble, and the land was scorched'? Did they simply 'disappear'?

The late-night directives from Xi and Li have raised suspicions.

According to reports from the Chinese Communist Party's official media, following the explosion, General Secretary Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang promptly issued directives, demanding an investigation into the cause of the accident and accountability for those responsible. The first relevant reports were published by Xinhua News Agency in a press release at 12:08 AM on May 5.

This indicates that only 7 hours and 25 minutes passed from the time the explosion occurred at 4:43 PM until the highest leadership of the Communist Party officially issued instructions and disseminated a notice to the nation.

In the Communist Party's administrative framework, general production safety incidents are typically reported incrementally from local governments to higher authorities. However, the Huasheng fireworks explosion case reached the highest levels in under 8 hours. At the time of Xi and Li's directives, the official casualty figures reported were just 3 dead and 25 injured.

Shanghai entrepreneur Hu Liren remarked in a self-media program: "The Hunan local government is downplaying the situation, claiming that only 3 people died and 25 were injured, which is certainly an exaggeration. If only 3 people had died, there would be no need to report it to the central government. The Communist government has regulations stating that only accidents resulting in more than 30 deaths are reported to the central government; there is a grading system in place. Furthermore, once it is reported to the central government, Xi Jinping immediately issues directives. How could there be an immediate directive for just 3 deaths? This is a blatant falsehood."

According to the Chinese Communist Party's "Regulations on Reporting and Investigating Production Safety Accidents", the reporting requirements for accidents vary based on the number of fatalities: for general accidents with fewer than three deaths, only a report to the county-level people's government is necessary; for larger accidents with three to nine deaths, a report must be submitted to the municipal-level people's government; for major accidents with ten to twenty-nine deaths, a report is required for the provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality's people's government; and for particularly major accidents with thirty or more deaths, a report must be sent to the State Council (the central government).

Analysts have noted that the unusually rapid response of 'the ruins are still warm, and the directives have arrived' has stripped local governments of their last vestige of shame. The local government in Hunan, confronted with the devastating scene, clearly realises that the scale of casualties has surpassed all limits. In an effort to 'save themselves' amid this catastrophe, they have reported to Beijing at 'light speed' to distance themselves from any responsibility for concealing the incident; simultaneously, when making public announcements, they have calculated their statements carefully, engaging in dubious 'number games'.

The official death toll has been set at 26, just one short of the 'particularly major accident' threshold of 30 fatalities. This 'precise timing' reflects a cold and calculating approach within the bureaucracy. They have kept the death toll firmly at the edge of the provincial and ministerial jurisdiction limit, aiming to exploit loopholes in the grading system to classify the incident as 'major' rather than 'particularly major', thereby protecting the 'official hats' of higher-level national officials and effectively limiting accountability to the provincial and municipal levels.

Revelations from overseas have exposed astonishing insider information.

On May 4, the blogger "Luo Xiang - Breaking the Wall", who has long monitored significant events in Chinese society, reported that a firefighter from Liuyang 119 disclosed that the Huasheng Fireworks Factory in Liuyang, Hunan, was "sacrificed to loyalty." The whistleblower stated, "At the scene, 26 charred bodies were carried out, not including the nearby residents who were killed in their own homes!" 

On May 5, the same blogger received another tip from Liuyang firefighters: "After I exposed this yesterday, the authorities realised they could not cover it up, and subsequently revised the death toll to the 26 people I mentioned! However, the actual situation is different; I only did a rough count of 26 charred bodies that were carried out, and there are still others who have not been found and those who are missing—people who were blown to pieces in the explosion. It is estimated that there are at least around 100 more people at the scene, as over 130 people were working at the time, meaning all 130 are now gone! 

The whistleblower further revealed: "Later, the captain informed us that the nearby small town was completely flattened, with a 2-kilometre radius showing no signs of life. Since mainly the elderly and children were left behind, about 300 people were blown away. Rough estimates suggest that this incident has resulted in approximately 450 deaths, with over 300 injured! 

The whistleblower also noted: "The individual who was 'sacrificed to loyalty' is an elderly petitioner who has been appealing for land acquisition issues for 20 years. He was beaten and locked in a small, dark room. During this time, due to long-term intimidation of his family, his wife could not endure it and died, and his son became mentally unstable. The old man has lost all hope! Now that Xi has taken notice of this matter, provincial leaders have arrived, including the director of the safety supervision bureau and a deputy minister from the Ministry of Public Security!

Analysts indicate that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently regarded the lives of ordinary citizens as trivial and their demands as inconsequential. In response to a horrific tragedy that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, the CCP chose not to conduct a public investigation to provide accountability to society. Instead, they opted to manipulate cold statistics for their own agenda. To protect their positions, officials at all levels of the CCP are willing to allow hundreds of vibrant lives to 'vanish into thin air' among the ruins, all in an effort to create a public perception of 'isolated incidents' and 'decisive actions.' In the CCP's power ledger, the term 'human life' is absent; only 'stability maintenance' and 'interests' are recorded. The CCP, a malevolent regime that sustains itself by exploiting the people and disrespecting the dignity of the deceased, is destined to ignite the fuse that leads to its own demise in a frenzied rush towards its end. △