8 dead in fireworks shop blast at start of China’s Lunar New Year holiday

The Ministry of Emergency Management has warned officials of the urgent need to prevent a repeat of the fireworks explosion that killed eight people in Jiangsu province, eastern China, on Sunday, the start of the country’s nine-day Lunar New Year holiday. The ministry convened an emergency meeting following the blast at a fireworks shop in Dongan village in Donghai county, which happened after a villager “improperly set off fireworks near the store”. According to state broadcaster CCTV, two...

By Dewey Sim

Factbox-China's Lunar New Year travel rush is world's biggest annual migration

Safety measures ramped up before Chinese New Year

The government has instructed local authorities across the country to ramp up safety measures ahead of the Lunar New Year festival, with a focus on preventing fires, reducing traffic accidents and curbing air pollution.