Explosion at fireworks ship in China kills 12 people, second such blast in days

The blast occurred at around 2pm (local time) on Wednesday at Zhengji town in Xiangyang city of Hubei province, Xinhua news agency reported.

Updated on: Feb 18, 2026 4:36 PM IST

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An explosion at a fireworks shop in China's Xiangyang city killed 12 people on Wednesday, Chinese state media reported.

The explosion affected an area in the radius of around 50 square meters. (Representative image/ANI)

The latest explosion is second such explosion as the country celebrates the Lunar New Year. The cause of the explosion is yet to be known.

The blast occurred at around 2pm (local time) on Wednesday at Zhengji town in Xiangyang city of Hubei province, Xinhua news agency reported. The explosion reportedly affected an area in the radius of around 50 square meters.

Emergency services were rushed to the site and the flames from the explosion were extinguished at around 3:30pm (local time), the report said.

A similar fire-related incident was reported on Sunday when a fireworks shop in eastern Jiangsu province killed eight people and injured two others, according to Associated Press.

The Chinese government on Tuesday warned of the dangers of fireworks, saying that “fireworks are still the biggest risks during the Spring Festival period."

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Majid Alam
Majid Alam is a Chief Content Producer working at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. He currently heads shifts at online desk and manages homepage apart from writing, editing and curating articles. With over six years of experience in journalism, Majid has navigated national, politics and international news. His work primarily focuses on the politics of the Hindi heartland, government policies, and South Asia. He also writes on US and Europe’s policies vis-à-vis India. Before joining Hindustan Times, Majid worked at ABP LIVE as the Chief Copy Editor and at News18, where he managed the World and Explainers sections. His articles have featured in Dialogue Earth, The Quint, BMJ, The Diplomat, and Outlook India. Majid has a keen interest in the use of data for storytelling. Majid holds a Masters in Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship to study International Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris in 2020. He is also part of the OCEANS Network, an alumni network of Erasmus+ exchange scholars. He is currently serving as the National Representative (India) at the OCEANS Network. Apart from journalism, Majid has a flair for academic writing and loves to teach. He has published a book chapter: 'Bombay Cinema and Postmodernism' in the book: 'Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema.' He was also part of the OCEANS Network delegation to Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam in 2025. He has also given guest lecture in digital journalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.Read More

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