A fireworks shop explosion in China kills 12 people in the second such blast in days

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BEIJING (AP) — An explosion at a fireworks' shop in China's Hubei province on Wednesday killed 12 people, state media reported, the second such explosion as the country celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Emergency responders put out the blaze at the fireworks shop in the town of Xiangyang, in central Hubei province, on Wednesday afternoon, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Investigators are now looking into the cause of the explosion, the report said without giving further details.

The victims were five children and seven adults, officials said Thursday. One was the shop owner, and the rest were customers who had come to buy fireworks for celebrations. Some were visiting family from out of town.

Fireworks are a large part of the Lunar New Year celebration in China, but their use has also been the cause of multiple accidents.

On Sunday, another accident at a fireworks shop in eastern Jiangsu province killed eight people and injured two. Authorities had said a resident had set off fireworks near the shop.

The central government warned of the dangers in a statement Tuesday, saying that “fireworks are still the biggest risks during the Spring Festival period," according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.