Seventeen people were killed and several others injured after a massive fire broke out at a firecracker factory near Deesa town in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Tuesday, police said. According to officials, the fire triggered a series of explosions, causing parts of the factory to collapse. Several workers are feared trapped under the debris.
"Firefighters from the Deesa municipality are carrying out rescue operations to save those trapped in the rubble," said Inspector Vijay Chaudhary of Deesa Rural Police Station.
"Today morning, we got information of a large explosion in the industrial area in Deesa. The Fire Department rushed to the site and controlled the fire. Five workers died on the spot of the incident. Four injured workers were referred to different hospitals. The explosion was so huge that the slab of the factory collapsed. We are conducting a search operation to rescue any person who might be buried under debris," said Banaskantha Collector Mihir Patel.
A district administration official confirmed the death toll at seven, while the six injured have been rushed to the civil hospital for treatment. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.