A blast at a fireworks factory in India on Wednesday killed 14 people, police said, weeks ahead of a Hindu festival marked by the lighting of millions of fire crackers.
It was not clear if the factory in the northern state of Punjab was a legal facility or one of the many illegal fireworks factories dotted across the country with lax safety standards.
"We have recovered 14 dead bodies," said police officer Mukhtiar Singh.
#Blast in Indian #fireworksfactory kills 14 people#India #Punjab #BatalaBlast https://t.co/v68gnQ6YGn pic.twitter.com/LPNDnn0av6
— Gulf-Times (@GulfTimes_QATAR) September 4, 2019
Videos posted by media showed rescue workers and dozens of people milling around a large collapsed structure.
India marks Diwali, the festival of lights, next month when revellers set off countless fireworks.


