Saharanpur (UP), April 26 -- A devastating explosion ripped through an illegal firecracker factory in Uttar Pradesh's Deoband area in Saharanpur on Saturday morning, killing several people and leaving many buried under the debris. According to local reports, nine workers were inside the factory when the blast occurred. The impact of the explosion was so intense that body parts were flung as far as 200 metres from the site.

Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes, with half of a person's body discovered far from the site and a severed palm found 150 metres away.

Rescue operations are currently underway as police teams have cordoned off the area. The factory, which was operating illegally on a one-bigha plot near National Highway-59, was c...