Five people have been confirmed dead and six taken to hospital following an explosion in a fireworks factory on the outskirts of the city of Zaragoza in central Spain on Monday, Xinhua reported.
The explosion at the factory of the Pirotecnica Zaragozana (Zaragoza Firework Company), a company established in 1860 which employs 40 people in a 12-hectare site, happened at 2:15 p.m. local time (1215 GMT) and could be heard up to 20 km away, according to local media.
Emergency services, including 10 fire engines, were soon on the scene of the accident, but their attempts to reach the exact area of the explosion were hampered by thick smoke and several smaller explosions which followed the main blast.
In the confusion which followed the explosion, four people were reported as missing, but the Government Delegate for Zaragoza, Gustavo Alcalde later confirmed the five deaths.
Two of those taken to hospital were in a condition which is described as "very serious," suffering from blast injuries and burns, while the condition of the other four is described as "serious."
Meanwhile specialist explosive detection squads from Spain's Civil Guard are now at the site as investigations continue into the cause of the tragedy.