An explosives factory in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, which was storing a large number of explosives, was gutted on Saturday.
The blast went on for more than two hours due to the stockpile, which was prepared ahead of the upcoming Diwali festival.
Fortunately, no workers were present at the time, and no one was injured.
However, the explosion was so powerful that several nearby houses were damaged, and tremors were felt over a wide area. At least six rooms in the factory were destroyed.
Fire and rescue teams responded quickly and worked diligently to put out the fire. Officials suspect that the fire may have been caused by a spark when a truck arrived at the site to load explosives.
According to the Virudhunagar district collector, the factory has been given a licence, as per the findings of the preliminary investigation. Further investigation is ongoing.