FAISALABAD, Oct 13: Two people were killed and three sustained serious injuries in an explosion in a fireworks factory in Nalka Kohala Town in the Sargodha Road area here on Saturday.

About half a dozen workers were engaged in fireworks manufacture in a factory owned by Muhammad Afzal when some of the material caught fire. Within minutes the entire factory was on fire and several workers had sustained severe burns. They were rushed to Allied Hospital. Muhammad Arif of Chak 199 JB and Bashir Ahmad of Chenab Nagar died on their way. Zulfiqar Ali, Asif Javed, and Muhammad Maqbool were admitted to hospital where their condition was stated to be critical.

The fire was put out in about half an hour.