Children Stuffed It In, Then the Manhole Cover Flew Off with a 'Bang'... Emergency Alert in Jung

Manhole Cover Explosion Accidents Occur Annually
Fireworks Regulation Strengthening Proves Ineffective

In China, an accident occurred where children playing with fireworks caused a manhole cover to explode. Authorities have pledged to strengthen efforts to prevent fireworks-related safety accidents ahead of the upcoming major Chinese holiday, the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year).

More Fireworks Accidents Ahead of the Spring Festival... "Accidents Occur Every Year"

On the 23rd, a video surfaced online in China showing three children playing near a sewer. In the video, one of the children is seen throwing fireworks into a manhole. Moments later, flames shot up from inside the sewer, causing the manhole cover to explode, and one child was thrown back by the blast. A vehicle parked right next to the manhole was even lifted off the ground.

The video was reportedly filmed on the afternoon of the 21st at 3:40 PM in Nanbin Shangyuan, Wanzhou District, Chongqing City. The explosion occurred when the fireworks ignited flammable gas inside the sewer. One child sustained facial injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital, but their life is not in danger. However, the sidewalk around the manhole was severely damaged.

Such manhole accidents happen every year around the time of the Spring Festival in China. In addition, fireworks-related accidents continue to occur. On the same day, in a high-rise apartment in Guang'an City, Sichuan Province, a child living on the 11th floor threw fireworks down to the lower floors, nearly causing a major accident. In Changsha City, Hunan Province, children setting off fireworks caused a fire that destroyed 13 motorcycles and blackened an apartment wall up to the third floor. In 2021, in Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, an 11-year-old boy died at the scene after throwing fireworks into a manhole. The boy was found about 5 meters away from the accident site, where flames had shot up 2 meters high and the explosion had occurred.

Authorities Struggle with Repeated 'Fireworks Accidents'... "Total Ban on Fireworks Difficult to Enforce"

On January 25, 2021, in a square in Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, China, a child threw a lit firecracker into a sewer, causing a sewer explosion accident. The explosion's shock sent several manhole covers shooting into the air with a loud noise. [Image source=Pengpai News capture]

In China, there is a custom of setting off fireworks in the yard at the first crow of the rooster on the first day of the lunar new year (Chunjie) to drive away evil spirits. Around the Spring Festival, the sound of fireworks can be heard continuously from large cities to small rural villages. In some rural areas, the scale of fireworks set off during the festival is considered a measure of wealth, with people spending several months' wages on fireworks.

However, due to repeated large-scale fire accidents caused by fireworks and their identification as a major cause of winter air pollution, authorities began regulating fireworks mainly in large cities since the late 1980s. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with the strengthening of the zero-COVID policy, regulations on Spring Festival fireworks were also tightened. However, public dissatisfaction and resistance have been significant, and as cases of fireworks bans not being properly observed have increased, authorities are struggling. In fact, in January last year in Zhoukou, Henan Province, a physical altercation broke out between police trying to stop fireworks and residents. A video of Chinese people destroying a car on top of a police vehicle spread on Twitter (now X).

When some local governments issued "total bans on fireworks," the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) announced its opposition on December 26 last year, stating that such bans are "not legal." Xian Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission, said, "A total ban on fireworks does not comply with higher-level laws and regulations and is practically difficult to enforce. It needs to be revised to align with higher laws."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.