A State Council team will be established to thoroughly investigate the causes of a fireworks plant explosion in central China's Hunan Province and hold those responsible accountable.

The explosion, which occurred at around 4:43 p.m. Monday at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha, capital city of Hunan, has left 26 people dead and 61 others injured.

Zhang Guoqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice premier, arrived in Liuyang on Tuesday to guide the emergency rescue and response work on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Upon arrival, Zhang immediately went to the explosion site and the local hospital and learned in detail about the search for missing persons and the treatment of the injured. He then held a meeting at the on-site command center on further improving rescue and medical treatment, handling of the aftermath and accident investigation.

Authorities in Hunan and other localities and relevant departments must draw profound lessons from the accident and solidly identify and rectify risks and hidden dangers in key industries and sectors to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, Zhang said.

He demanded all-out efforts to search for the missing, urging deploying professional teams to conduct scientific search and rescue and preventing secondary casualties.

High-level medical personnel and resources should be mobilized to fully treat the injured, and the families of the deceased should be comforted and the aftermath handled with patience and meticulous care, he noted.

Zhang called for intensified efforts to crack down on illegal and non-compliant activities in the fireworks and hazardous chemicals industries and prevent major and serious accidents.