The explosion occurred on Monday afternoon at the plant operated by the Huasheng fireworks manufacturing and display company in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha, the provincial capital.

So far, the accident has claimed 37 lives, left one person missing, and injured 51 others who are receiving medical treatment in hospitals, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Five of the injured are in critical condition but have stable vital signs. Search and rescue operations at the scene have been largely completed, the report said.

After the accident, Changsha authorities activated an emergency response, set up a task force, and dispatched over 1,500 personnel to carry out rescue and medical treatment operations.

Subsequent rounds of thorough on-site searches and comprehensive checks confirmed that the accident resulted in 37 deaths and one missing person.

Police have summoned eight people on suspicion of negligence leading to the accident.

As the explosion site is located near two black powder warehouses, the rescuers have evacuated nearby residents and set up a buffer zone to prevent a secondary accident. China is a leading manufacturer and exporter of fireworks.