At least 15 people have been killed in an explosion at a firework factory in Thailand on Wednesday, a rescue worker has said.
Workers were trying to confirm the exact number of deaths, said Kristada Manee-In with the Samerkun Suphan Buri Rescue Foundation, but he estimated that beteen 15 to 17 people were killed.
Photos posted online by local rescue workers in the Suphan Buri province showed the site levelled.
The incident occurred in the afternoon in the province, which is about 75 miles north of Bangkok, police said.
The blast came less than a month before Chinese New Year in February when there is a strong demand for fireworks.
Its cause was not immediately clear.
In July last year, a large explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 100, according to officials.
That explosion in Narathiwat province was in a residential area, damaging about 100 houses within a radius of about 1,640ft, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The Narathiwat governor said that blast was likely ignited by construction work that was taking place in the warehouse, with sparks from metal welding causing the fireworks stored inside to catch fire and explode.
