On February 13th in Yunnan County, Yunfu City, Guangdong Province, an unexpected accident occurred during the “firecracker” event in Huyan Village, Dongba Town. A villager accidentally ignited a large amount of firecrackers on the “firecracker platform,” resulting in multiple villagers being injured by the explosion.
Video footage from the scene shows several villagers standing on a platform several meters high constructed with bamboo. One villager lit a string of firecrackers, inadvertently igniting multiple strings of firecrackers on the high platform. A large number of firecrackers exploded instantly, catching people on the platform off guard. They stumbled and jumped down from the platform, with some villagers suspected of being burned, rolling around in the mud and water.
According to a report by Jiemu News, Mr. Cai, a villager from Huyan Village, stated that the incident occurred on the afternoon of February 13th. Five villagers were initially taken to the town hospital after the incident, and three of them with severe injuries were later transferred to a hospital in Yunfu City. Some villagers suffered facial burns, but fortunately, their lives were not in danger.
Mr. Cai explained that on that day, they were conducting the “firecracker” event, with villagers lighting firecrackers on the “firecracker platform” by hand. It is possible that due to the rapid ignition, a firecracker slipped from their grasp and ignited the rest of the firecrackers on the platform. The highest point of the “firecracker platform” is about 20 meters, with the ignition point being nearly 10 meters high. Luckily, it was built on soft soil. If it had been on a hardened surface, those jumping from mid-air might have been more severely injured.
Officials from Dongba Town government attributed the accident to improper operation by villagers, resulting in three individuals being injured.
According to information from the official website of the Yunfu City government, “firecracker” is one of the local folk customs. The “firecracker” activities in the Yunfu region usually start at 4 p.m. The “firecracker platform” is built at the spacious and open ground near the village entrance, using bamboo and wood frames reaching over ten meters in height, serving as an activity for people to pray for blessings and prosperity.
The incident has sparked discussions and trended on social media platforms.
A netizen named “Wu Hongwan E Channel” commented: “As long as no one died, it’s good. Watching the video was so thrilling.”
Another netizen named “hehaifengzhsh” believed that it was a lack of proper organization that led to the accident.