A total of 46 people were injured from fireworks-related accidents in Beijing on Sunday, the eve of China's Spring Festival, local authorities said on Monday.

About 70 ambulances had patrolled at Sunday night on streets for emergencies caused by fireworks.

The deafening blasts of firecrackers are an essential element of the country's most important traditional festival, the Lunar New Year.

The municipal fireworks office said fireworks had triggered 75 fires on Sunday, down 17 percent from the same period last year, and 46 injuries, down 48 percent.

About 230,000 firework packages were sold by Sunday, up 28 percent to year-on-year.

The city lifted a 12-year ban on fireworks in 2006. Since then, two deaths, more than 1,500 injuries and 2,400 fires caused by mishandled firecrackers had been reported.

China accounts for about 75 percent of the world's total annual firecracker production.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2009)