Search and rescue underway after fireworks warehouse blast in Uttar Pradesh

Search and rescue operations were underway Monday for more than a dozen people feared trapped after an explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district, officials said, with a subsequent fire brought under control.

Emergency teams were on site sifting through debris following the blast, with officials saying the subsequent fire had been controlled. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were trapped or to what extent.

An explosion ripped through a fireworks warehouse in the Kaushambi district on Monday and prompted police, firefighters and rescue teams to descend on the area. Officials were inspecting the blast site while teams looked for survivors. No details on the cause of the explosion were available, and investigators are expected to review the safety precautions and reasoning behind the blast.

India is no stranger to the accidents that occur in fireworks factories, where the raw materials can be volatile, and these sorts of events are not at all unheard of. Firefighters were still working to contain the explosion while authorities eyed the facility and tried to find the missing people.