A fireworks technician died in an explosion outside a park in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon, police said.

The blast occurred at about 12:30 p.m., when Pu Jiliang, 26, from central Hunan Province, was loading fireworks on to a truck near the gate of Century Park in Pudong District.

He died at the scene, police said, without giving further details. No other casualties were reported.

The park administration had scheduled fireworks displays on Sept. 30, Oct. 3 and Oct.6 as part of the celebrations for the National Day holiday. Fireworks artists from Russia, Japan, Germany and China came to participate in the displays.

The park remained open to the public, although police cordoned off a section near the scene of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency October 5, 2008)