Palanpur: At least 13 persons were killed after a blast at a firecracker factory led to a blaze and collapse of the building in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Tuesday, officials said.

The incident took place at the unit located near Deesa town.

“A massive explosion took place at the factory around 9.45 am, which caused the entire RCC slab of the factory to collapse,” Collector Mihir Patel said.

He said the bodies of 13 persons have been recovered from the factory, and four persons are injured but in stable condition.

A blast at the factory in an industrial area led to a fire, and some parts of the building collapsed, leaving several persons trapped under the rubbles, said Neha Panchal, sub-divisional magistrate, Deesa.

Patel said that as per preliminary information, the blast occurred when firecrackers were being made at the factory.

Family members of workers also lived on the premises and were also trapped under the rubbles, he said.

Officials said firefighters from the Deesa municipality doused the blaze, and an operation was underway to rescue those trapped in the rubble.

A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was also at the site to assist in the rescue work, they said.