The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today expressed "deep regret and outrage" at the deaths of dozens of children in a massive explosion at a primary school in China, where they were making fireworks.
"Our regrets go to the families of the young victims," UNICEF said in a statement.
"Our outrage is directed at school officials who allegedly forced the children, as young as eight, to assemble fireworks on school grounds."
China's official Xinhua news agency said 41 people had died and 27 were injured in Tuesday's blast, which flattened the two-storey school building in the village of Fanglin in the southeastern province of Jiangxi.
But three villagers separately told AFP that between 60 and 70 people were killed by the explosion, which buried scores of children under rubble.
The villagers said teachers had been forcing children at the school to make firecrackers for three years in a scam organised by the head teacher, despite complaints from parents.
"Exploitative child labour of any form is morally unacceptable and a violation of children's rights and international law," UNICEF said.
"What is even more appalling is that the children killed in the village of Fanglin were engaged in particularly hazardous work at a place which should be a safe haven: their school."
AFP