Hanoi, Oct 12 (IANS) At least 20 people were killed in explosions at a fireworks factory in Vietnam’s northern province of Phu Tho Saturday, reports Xinhua.
Over 200 injured people have been brought to the hospital, most of them severely burnt, said Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the emergency department at Phu Tho hospital.
In the morning, explosions were heard from the fireworks factory in Thanh Ba district of Phu Tho province, 90 km from the capital Hanoi.
Many houses within a one-km radius of the explosions were damaged.
The explosions took place in factory four of the Z121 plant under the Industrial Defence Department of the Ministry of National Defence, said Le Quang Dai, chief of Phu Tho provincial military headquarters.
Authorities have launched a search-and-rescue operation for survivors.