A firecracker storage facility in southern India caught fire on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, police said, the second such incident in three days.
Nakul Rajendra Deshmukh, police chief in Kerala state’s Thrissur district, told AFP that rescue operations were “over” after the deadly fire, which also left 15 people injured including two in critical condition.
The cause of the fire was being determined, he added.
Local media said it broke out during preparations for a Hindu festival.
The death toll is likely to rise still.
Shekhar Kuriakose, an official with the state’s disaster response agency, said that rescuers had retrieved body parts for an additional six victims but have yet to identify them.
“It will take time to identify the body parts after DNA tests are conducted on them,” Kuriakose, a member of state’s disaster management authority, told AFP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a social media post that he was “saddened” by the loss of lives and offered his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims.
On Sunday, 20 people died in a similar blaze at a firecracker factory in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
Industrial accidents are common in India, often due to poor adherence to safety regulations and weak enforcement.
Last month, another fire at a fireworks factory in western India killed 17 people.
Add Comment