00:00An explosion at a fireworks plant in the central Chinese province of Hunan
00:05killed at least 21 people and injured more than 60 others,
00:08according to reports on state-run media on Tuesday.
00:12Aerial footage showed white smoke still billowing above certain areas of the site,
00:17even after firefighters had been fighting the flames for hours.
00:21The fires burned several buildings down to ashes,
00:24while many others collapsed or suffered severe damage.
00:28Nearly 500 rescue workers were deployed to the scene to extinguish the blaze,
00:33carry out search-and-rescue operations,
00:35and evacuate residents in close proximity to the plant.
00:39Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blast,
00:42but have preliminarily detained the person in charge of the company.
00:46Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered a full probe into the incident
00:50to be carried out diligently and expeditiously
00:53and instructed local officials to make every possible effort to save lives.
00:58Authorities warn the death toll is likely to climb as rescue operations continue.
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