At least 54 people were killed Wednesday in a blaze at a fireworks factory in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, state-run All India Radio reported. According to dpa, the fire gutted more than 40 rooms and stores at the sprawling premises of Om Siva Sakthi Cracker factory in the town of Sivakasi, Virudhunagar district. More than 50 people were injured and had been admitted to nearby hospitals, police said. Firemen, police and rescue workers found it difficult to enter the building for hours as there were small explosions and chemical fumes, broadcaster Times Now reported. Television channels showed huge, dark clouds of smoke billowing from the site and firecrackers could be heard bursting. Most of the workers had managed to escape or had been evacuated, police said. It was not clear how many workers were in the factory when the fire broke out. The factory employs 300 workers.
