India, April 13 -- At least eight workers, including two women, were killed, and seven others were injured in an explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit in a village in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

The incident occurred at around 12.45 pm in Kailasapatnam village in Kotauratla mandal. Eight bodies have been recovered, and the injured are being shifted to hospitals, police and fire officials said, adding that locals are also assisting the police at the scene.

Police said its preliminary investigation has shown that the fire started in the explosive storage unit and quickly spread to the entire factory within minutes leading to several workers getting trapped.

"The huge stockpile of crackers caught fire, and the...