Eighteen people were killed in a blast at a firecracker factory in Batala of Gurdaspur district on Wednesday, an official said.
Several people were feared trapped under the debris, police said, adding that the rescue operation was underway.
The blast took place around 4 pm at the factory located in a residential area, Inspector General (Border Range) SPS Parmar told PTI.
Batala Senior Medical Officer Sanjiv Bhalla said, "A total 18 people have died in the blast."
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