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Associated Press

Agence France-Presse

An explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand killed at least 23 people on Wednesday, according to provincial officials.
The death toll was announced by authorities with Suphan Buri province, where the blast occurred. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said officials were working to secure the site and help affected people.
The blast occurred at around 3:00pm local time.
“We received reports from EOD team that there were 23 confirmed dead,” Nattapat Suwanprateep, Suphan Buri province governor, told Agence France-Presse, referencing the Explosive Ordinance Disposal group.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated. “The factory was operating legally with valid licences,” he said.
Police officers said the surrounding area had not been damaged. “Glass windows on one house have been affected by the explosion but no other reports,” Nattapat said.
Rescuers at the scene said no survivors had been found. None were mentioned by provincial authorities, contradicting the department’s statement that wounded people had been recovered.
Suphan Buri is about 95 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Bangkok, in the heart of Thailand’s central rice-growing region.
The prime minister ordered an inspection of the plant to see if it was operating legally and if the explosion was caused by negligence
Statement from the office of PM Srettha Thavisin
The office of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who is in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, distributed a video showing him being told over the phone by the regional police commander that there were 20 to 30 workers at the factory at the time of the explosion and that none of them could be found.
“The prime minister ordered an inspection of the plant to see if it was operating legally and if the explosion was caused by negligence. The law must be enforced to the fullest extent because there are innocent deaths and injuries,” Srettha’s office said.
Kritsada Manee-In, a rescuer with the Samerkun Suphan Buri Rescue Foundation, who earlier estimated that around 15 to 17 people had been killed, said an exact count was difficult because the bodies were in pieces.
Photos posted on social media showed a thick plume of black smoke over the scene. Photos posted online by local rescuers showed the factory site virtually levelled flat.
At least 10 dead, 100 injured in Thai fireworks warehouse explosion
National police chief Torsak Sukvimol confirmed local news reports that there had been another explosion at the factory in November 2022 that killed one worker and seriously injured three others.
He said police would pursue legal action for any wrongdoing involved.
The blast came less than a month before Lunar New Year in February, when demand for fireworks is strong.
Explosions at workshops producing firecrackers and other pyrotechnics are not uncommon in Thailand.

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 and damaged about 100 houses within a 500-metre (1,640-foot) radius, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
The Narathiwat governor said that blast was likely ignited by construction work in the warehouse, with sparks from metal welding causing the fireworks stored inside to catch fire and explode.
The Southeast Asian kingdom also has a poor safety record in the construction sector, and deadly accidents are common.
Additional reporting by Reuters


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Explosion at Thailand fireworks factory kills at least 23

Rescuers work near the site of an explosion at a fireworks factory in Suphan Buri province, Thailand on Wednesday. Photo: Samerkun Suphan Buri Foundation via AP

Smoke rises after an explosion at a fireworks factory near Sala Khao township in Thailand’s Suphan Buri province. Photo: Handout/AFP

Debris in a field after an explosion at a fireworks factory near Sala Khao township in Thailand’s Suphan Buri province. Photo: Handout/Agence France-Presse

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The incident occurred in Suphan Buri province, about 120km north of Bangkok, according to police
The cause of the explosion is being investigated


The incident occurred in Suphan Buri province, about 120km north of Bangkok, police said.


Explosion at Thailand fireworks factory kills at least 23

The incident occurred in Suphan Buri province, about 120km north of Bangkok, according to police The cause of the explosion is being investigated

The incident occurred in Suphan Buri province, about 120km north of Bangkok, according to police

The cause of the explosion is being investigated