6 dead, several injured in south India factory blast

NEW DELHI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- At least six people, including two women, died and several others were injured when a massive explosion took place in a firecracker manufacturing unit in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, local police said over the phone.

The blast, which led to a huge fire, took place inside the factory located in a village in the state's Virudhunagar district. Six dead bodies had been recovered so far, and those injured had been admitted to a local hospital.

The rescue and relief operation was still going on, and efforts were being made to determine the cause of the explosion.

According to the police, the massive blast led to a huge fire, and soon thick clouds of smoke emerged over the factory area. Continuous sounds of firecrackers bursting were heard from inside the factory as the fire raged.

Tuesday's blast in the firecracker-making unit was the second in south India in two consecutive days, after yesterday's explosion in a pharmaceutical unit in the southern state of Telangana, in which the death toll has lately risen to 35.