Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong comes out of return capsule

Chinese astronaut Li Cong, crew member of the Shenzhou-18 mission, has come out of the return capsule.

Li was the second of the Shenzhou-18 crew that emerged from the capsule after it touched down safely at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 01:24 Monday (Beijing Time).

"I would like to express my gratitude to the people of the whole country for their concern for us, and I'm also immensely grateful to the aerospace workers for their hard work in supporting us. During this trip to realize our space dream, our crew members united as one, and collaborated effectively with the ground teams. The two extravehicular activities were completed smoothly, as were the in-orbit scientific research experiments. Although we have successfully completed this Shenzhou-18 mission, the exploration of space never ends. We will recover as soon as possible and strive to start training at an early date, with the aim of returning to the vast space and contributing our own strength to the new journey of building our country into a space power," Li told reporters at the landing site.

The Shenzhou-18 crew was sent into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on April 25. Prior to Monday's return, the crew completed all planned tasks and handed over the space station to the Shenzhou-19 astronauts who got on board on Oct 30.

Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong comes out of return capsule

All the people injured in the fireworks plant explosion on Monday in central China's Hunan Province have been sent to local hospitals for treatment, according to authorities.

The accident has left 26 people dead and 61 others injured, according to officials speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.

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

"When I arrived at the scene, I saw everything was flattened. Everything. Look at me. I'm all covered by mud and sand stirred up by the explosion," said local villager Wu Yuliang.

Following the explosion, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to locate those still unaccounted for and to treat the injured. The person in charge of the company where the accident occurred has been detained by police.

More than 480 rescuers, organized into five teams, have been deployed, along with three rescue robots to support operations.

At Tuesday's press conference, local officials said the situation remains challenging, with difficulties in controlling the fire, extinguishing the blaze, and carrying out search and rescue operations.

"A large quantity of explosives stored in the warehouse area could not be moved immediately, posing a direct threat to the safety of our rescue personnel. Second, the accident site was chaotic since basically all buildings' walls, beams, columns, and roofs have collapsed, creating extensive rubble. People were buried under the debris, passageways were blocked, and our rescue efforts were severely hampered," said Ding Weiming, Party secretary and political commissar of Changsha's fire and rescue team.

The injured have been rushed to two hospitals for emergency treatment after the explosion, with most suffering from bone injuries.

A medical task force of leading experts in burns, intensive care, and trauma surgery has been assembled.

The People's Hospital of Liuyang received 25 of the injured people.

"She has fractures in both legs. The doctor won't allow her to walk or get out of bed. She can only use a wheelchair to get around. I have to carry her to the bathroom," one victim's son told reporters at his mother’s bedside in hospital.

All patients are reported to be in stable condition, though doctors say they will require further observation for more than 24 hours.

"For now, we don't recommend that they rush to be discharged, as there is still some psychological trauma and stress that we need to monitor," said Ding Shengqiang, head of the hospital's medical department.

After all of the city's fireworks enterprises were shut down on Monday night, local officials said a large-scale safety inspection will be carried out to address regulatory gaps and strengthen overall safety standards.

All injured hospitalized after central China fireworks plant explosion