At least six people were killed and four injured in Taiwan on Monday when an explosion ripped through an illegal firecracker factory in the southern region of Chiayi, police said.
”We have found six badly burnt bodies and a number of body parts scattered over the explosion site,” said a police officer.
”We also found two critically injured workers and rushed them to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment,” he added.
The blast destroyed the factory, which had been converted from a pig farm, and shattered windows in nearby houses. An elementary school close to the factory was also damaged, while two students were reported to have sustained minor injuries from flying debris.
The school had already finished lessons for the day and most children had gone home, said police.
”Otherwise there would have been more casualties, as the school is just behind the factory,” said the spokesperson.
Police said they were investigating the cause of the accident.
The factory operators could face charges of illegal firework manufacture, of endangering public safety and even of manslaughter.
Fireworks are an integral part of Taiwanese culture and are widely used on festive occasions. However, in the past number of years up to a dozen people have been reported killed in explosions in illegal firecracker workshops. — Sapa-DPA