Key facts
- Three senior officials in Hunan province are under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law".
- The investigation follows a catastrophic fireworks factory explosion on May 4 that killed 37 people.
- The officials include Lei Min, Zhong Caifa, and Yang Hai, all involved in emergency management.
- This is part of a wider accountability effort, with other local officials already probed.
- The explosion occurred at Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang.
Anti-corruption authorities in China's Hunan province have launched investigations into three senior officials following a deadly fireworks factory explosion last month. The provincial discipline inspection commission announced Thursday that Lei Min, deputy director of the provincial emergency management department's safety production command centre; Zhong Caifa, former deputy director of the Changsha municipal emergency management bureau; and Yang Hai, deputy party chief and director of the Liuyang municipal emergency management bureau, are under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law."
These probes are part of a broader accountability effort after the catastrophic blast at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang on May 4. The incident resulted in 37 fatalities, with 51 people hospitalized and one person still missing. The current investigations follow similar probes initiated on June 5 into Li Xiang, former vice-mayor of Liuyang; Gao Chengjian, a former deputy captain of the Liuyang police patrol brigade; and Liu Yongqiang, a local emergency management official.