Rescue workers recovered nine bodies from the exploded shell of a fireworks factory in East China yesterday, following a huge blast which could be heard more than 60 kilometres away.

Up to 200 workers were believed to have been in the Panda Fireworks Company in Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province, when the factory was destroyed at 9:45 am.

Medical teams worked round the clock to treat 60 injured workers while search teams scoured the rubble for anyone still trapped.

According to initial investigation, the blasts were caused by human error. Health and safety chiefs promised a full and comprehensive report into the disaster. Local sources said the Panda Fireworks Company, a solely Hong Kong-funded enterprise in the mountainous town of Huangmao, was the biggest factory of its type in the area.

A local firefighter said that eight fire engines and 500 emergency personnel had rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the catastrophe at 10:20 am.

"All my colleagues and public security police have been called in to help following the disaster," he said from the factory site.

Fears that the death toll could rise further were raised because the factory was working at its capacity.

(China Daily December 31, 2001)