At least 20 dead in explosion at fireworks factory in central Thailand

At least 20 people have been killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand, police said on Wednesday.

The explosion was reported at a factory in Suphan Buri, about 120km (74.56 miles) north of Bangkok, at around 3.30pm, according to ThaiPBS.

Around seven people were injured in the mishap and taken to a hospital at Chao Phraya Yommarat in the province.

“We cannot tell whether all the workers were killed. The officials are entering the site to investigate. They have not found any survivors,” provincial governor Nattapat Suwanprateep told Reuters.

The fire has been controlled and workers were trying to confirm the exact number of casualties, said Kritsada Manee-In with the Samerkun Suphan Buri Rescue Foundation.

Visuals showed a huge pillar of black smoke rising in the air after the fire was doused.

Photos posted online by local rescue workers showed the site, in an otherwise unoccupied rice field, levelled flat aside from what were remnants of the factory.

Prime minister Srettha Thavisin, who is at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was briefed on the explosion and called for a swift investigation.

“The prime minister ordered an inspection of the plant to see if it was operating legally and if the explosion was caused by negligence. The law must be enforced to the fullest extent because there are innocent deaths and injuries,” Mr Srettha’s office said.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear.

The incident coincides with a period of heightened demand for fireworks in the country and comes less than a month before the Chinese New Year in February.

In July 2023, a massive explosion rocked a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand, leading to at least 10 deaths and 100 people injured, as reported by officials. The explosion in the Narathiwat province happened in a residential area, gutting at least 100 houses within 500m radius.