36 killed in firecracker explosion in central China

The blast, which took place amidst the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities, also injured 48 people.

The death toll in the firecracker storehouse explosion in central China's Henan province has risen to 36 with the recovery of 20 more bodies from the debris, local government said on Tuesday.

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The explosion, which occurred on Sunday afternoon inside a storehouse of a closed firecracker company in Linzhou city of Henan, resulted in the collapse of a temple nearby, killing 16 people on the spot.

The blast, which took place amidst the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities, also injured 48 people, eight of them seriously.

The company had been closed due to illegal operation, but there were still firecrackers in the storehouse, the local work safety department said.

According to local residents, the explosion occurred when people burned incense sticks at the temple adjoining the firecracker storehouse, Xinhua news agency reported adding that an investigation is on into the incident.