23 killed in explosion at firecracker factory in India

Twenty-three people were killed and 14 others injured in a large explosion at a firecracker factory Wednesday in northern India, police said.

The blast, which took place in Gurdaspur in the northern state of Punjab, gutted a building that was being used to manufacture firecrackers in a residential part of the city.

The explosion and ensuing blaze was so fierce that it led to the collapse of the factory building, said inspector general Surinderpal Singh Parmar.

"We are trying to figure out the cause. Police, firefighters and disaster management personnel are at the site looking for any extra bodies in the debris," Parmar said Wednesday.

The National Disaster Response Force launched search and rescue operations Wednesday afternoon and finished overnight. By Thursday, a forensic team had begun working on the site and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosion.

Singh said the blast was so strong that it shattered the windows and collapsed some walls of nearby buildings. A few pedestrians in the area at the time of explosion were also injured, said Parmar.

Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh said in a tweet that he had ordered a magisterial probe into the blast.

Source: cnn