20 killed in Punjab firecracker factory blast in India

At least 20 people were killed and many others feared trapped under rubbles when an explosion ripped through a firecracker manufacturing factory on Wednesday in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, police said.

The incident took place at around 4:00pm (Indian time) at the factory located in a residential area in the district, Inspector General (Border Range) SPS Parmar told the media.

The blast led to the collapse of the building and a rescue operation was on to evacuate those feared trapped in the debris, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh expressed his anguish at the tragedy.

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Deeply anguished to learn of the loss of lives due to the blast in the firecracker factory in Batala. Rescue operations are underway with the DC & SSP heading the relief efforts.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 4, 2019

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"Deeply anguished to learn of the loss of lives due to the blast in the firecracker factory in Batala. Rescue operations are underway with the DC & SSP heading the relief efforts," he tweeted.