A factory that produces a firework exploded in central Thailand on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people and injuring many others, the provincial governor said.
The blast occurred at around 3:00 pm near Sala Khao township, in central Suphan Buri province.
The remains of the factory in Thailand’s Suphan Buri Province, after the blast.
After the blast, the factory, in the middle of a field in Suphan Buri Province, collapsed and remained nothing but rubble, images posted online by the local media
“Nobody could get out. Nobody could get out,” said a distraught female resident, who was weeping as she spoke into her mobile phone, in a video posted by Thai local media.
"We received reports from the EOD team that there were 23 confirmed dead," Nattapat Suwanprateep, Suphan Buri province governor, told AFP, referencing the Explosive Ordinance Disposal group.
There was no clue of what may have caused this tragic incident which was the second such accident would occur in just over a year. The first was an explosion and a fire that killed one person in November 2022 and seriously injured three people, according to the Thai police.
However, Nattapat said officials were investigating what may have triggered the incident.
"The factory was operating legally with valid licences," he said.
Police officers said the surrounding area had not been damaged. The factory had a permit to operate, according to the local media which also reported that the factory owner, his wife and their child or children had died in the blast.
Police Lieutenant General Naiyawat Phademchid told AFP Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin -- currently in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum -- had been informed of the incident.
Explosions at workshops producing firecrackers and other pyrotechnics are common in Thailand.
Fireworks are commonly used in festivities in Thailand. To satisfy demand, companies sometimes make and store them in unsafe conditions.
Additional information from NYT
泰國煙火工廠爆炸造成至少20人死亡
泰國中部一家生產煙火的工廠週三發生爆炸，造成至少 20 人死亡，多人受傷，省長說。
爆炸發生在下午 3 點左右，位於素攀武里省中部的薩拉考鎮附近。
當地媒體在網路上發布的圖片顯示，爆炸發生後，位於素攀武里府田地中央的工廠倒塌，只剩下一片瓦礫。
「沒有人能出去。 泰國當地媒體發布的一段影片中，一名心煩意亂的女性居民對著手機說話，哭泣著說。
素攀武里府省長納塔帕·蘇萬普拉泰普(Nattapat Suwanprateep) 告訴法新社：「我們收到排爆小組的報告，確認有23 人死亡。」他指的是爆炸物處置小組。
目前尚不清楚是什麼原因導致了這起悲慘事件，這是一年多來的第二起此類事故。
據泰國警方稱，第一起事故於 2022 年 11 月發生，還涉及爆炸和火災，造成一人死亡、三人重傷。
不過，納塔帕特表示，官員們正在調查可能引發這起事件的原因。
「該工廠是合法經營的，擁有有效許可證，」他說。
警方表示，週邊地區沒有遭到破壞。 據當地媒體報道，該工廠擁有經營許可證，該媒體還報道說，工廠老闆、他的妻子和他們的孩子在爆炸中喪生。
警方中將奈亞瓦特·帕德姆奇德 (Naiyawat Phademchid) 告訴法新社，目前正在瑞士參加世界經濟論壇的總理斯雷塔·塔維辛 (Srettha Thavisin) 已獲悉這一事件。
在泰國，生產鞭炮和其他煙火製品的工坊發生爆炸的情況很常見。
煙火在泰國的慶祝活動中很常見。 為了滿足需求，公司有時會在不安全的條件下製造和儲存它們。
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