NEW DELHI, October 17 (RIA Novosti) -At least 32 people were killed and 10 injured in an explosion following a fire at a wholesale firecracker shop in southern India, the local media reported on Sunday.
The Press Trust of India cited local authorities at Pallipat near Chennai, the capital of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, as saying that at least 32 badly charred bodies have been pulled late Friday out of a collapsed building, "which was a wholesale point of firecrackers."
The store's workers and traders, who came to place large orders for firecrackers on the eve of the Hindu's Festival of Lights, were among the victims. Fireworks are a major attraction during the festivities.
Police arrested the owner of the store and building's landlord on suspicion of setting up an illegal firecracker business.
Fatal accidents at illegal firecracker shops and factories, which have poor safety conditions, are a common occurrence in the state of Tamil Nadu and around India in general.
In the beginning of October, an explosion of firecrackers on board a passenger train at a railway terminal in Tamil Nadu killed two people, while a blast at a firecracker factory in July took lives of 16 people.
