An explosion ripped through a fireworks plant in the central Chinese province of Hunan, leaving at least 26 people dead, state media reported on Tuesday.

A total of 61 people are reported to have been injured in the incident.

The blast occurred in the ​city of Changsha on Monday at around 4:40pm local time (8:40am UTC), state-run outlets CCTV and Xinhua reported.

The city is home to a hub for fireworks manufacturing.

The causes behind the incident were not immediately clear.

Nearly 500 rescuers were deployed at the site of the blast, reports said.

People staying in danger zones were evacuated, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing high risks from two black powder depots located on the site.

According to reports, rescue workers used spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards and further accidents during the operation.

Three robots were also deployed to aid search and rescue efforts.

Xi orders probe

President Xi Jinping ​has called for a thorough investigation, state media reports said.

Xi has also instructed ​authorities to bolster efforts for risk screening and hazard ​control in ‌key industries, enhance public safety management ​and ⁠ensure the safety of people’s ⁠lives ​and property, Xinhua reported.

It added that while authorities were probing the reasons behind the explosion, they had taken ‘control measures’ against those in charge of the fireworks company. The report did not specify what these measures were.

DW