India, April 1 -- Seventeen people were killed and several others sustained grievous injuries after a fire, triggered by a boiler explosion, broke out at a firecracker factory godown on Dhunva Road in Deesa town of Banaskantha district of Gujarat on Tuesday.

"A fire broke out around 9.30 am at a firecracker factory belonging to a person named Khupchand in Deesa. Several labourers who were trapped inside have died. Rescue operations are underway, and the exact number of workers present at the time of the incident and those who managed to escape is unclear as of now," said an official at the Deesa police station.

Fire brigade teams from Deesa municipality rushed to the site as the intensity of the fire led to chaos and panic among locals,...