Explosion at fireworks depot in the Philippines leaves five dead and dozens injured

Five people, including a child, were killed in a massive explosion at a fireworks depot in the Philippines on Saturday, disaster officials said.

Another 38 people were injured in the incident, eight of them in critical condition, officials added.

The explosion reportedly occurred around 4:00 p.m. local time and left a 20-meter-long crater in the ground. Debris was thrown into surrounding buildings.

According to officials, nearly 15 other buildings were partially damaged in the incident, including a nearby soft drinks factory, several residential buildings in the area and a grain and flour warehouse.

Among those killed in the explosion are four warehouse workers and the four-year-old son of an employee.

It took firefighters nearly two hours to extinguish the fire caused by the explosion in Zamboanga City.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion and suspect that pyrotechnics stored in the warehouse could be the likely cause of the fire.

The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that it would investigate possible violations of occupational health and safety standards at the pyrotechnics warehouse following the massive explosion.

“I have instructed our DOLE regional director to immediately investigate the incident and initiate an occupational health and safety investigation,” said Philippine Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.

Operations at another fireworks warehouse in Barangay Tetuan have also been suspended amid ongoing investigations, according to the Philippine News Agency.

“Operations are suspended to ensure the safety of workers and will not resume until the necessary safety measures have been taken,” said Mr Laguesma.

In the meantime, he said assistance was being provided to the affected workers.

“If workers are laid off, temporary emergency jobs can be provided,” Laguesma said.