China Blows Up 30,000 Illegal Fireworks

LOCATION: ShangHai,China

DATE: April 12, 2010 - 9:31am.

BY:  WDEF News 12 and CBS

 

DETAILS: Shanghai authorities order the detonation of around 30,000 illegal fireworks, as part of the city's expo clean-up effort.

STORY: Shanghai authorities disposed of around 30,000 illegally made fireworks on Saturday (April 10), state television CCTV reported, by piling the confiscated boxes onto a secluded river bank, standing well back and then hitting the detonator.

The collection of illegal fireworks, designated a security hazard, had been building up since December last year, CCTV said.

The smoky destruction forms part of Shanghai's clean-up effort as it prepares to host the World Expo from May 1 to October 31.

Illegally-produced fireworks are a deadly cottage industry in China. The fireworks, produced without official safety checks, are frequently reported in the Chinese media to have caused explosions and injuries.

Shanghai has stepped up its security for the Expo, which is expected to see an average of 400,000 visitors each day,