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INDIA-CRIME-EXPLOSION
10 die in blast at illegal firework factory in India
NEW DELHI, Feb 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – An explosion at an illegal firecracker
factory in northern India killed at least 10 people Saturday with specialist
bomb disposal teams called in to clear the site.
The blast in Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh state caused widespread
damage and local residents arrived to find only dead bodies in the debris of
the shattered building.
A senior state police official told journalists the factory was being run
under the guise of a carpet manufacturing business.
“Special teams including bomb and forensic experts are reaching the site to
help and investigate,” the officer added.
Media reports said a huge quantity of illegal explosives was stored at the
factory.
Explosions often occur in illegal firecracker workshops, especially around
the Hindu autumn festival of Diwali. In October, a blast at another firework
factory in Uttar Pradesh killed seven people.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1917 hrs