An explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in western India has killed at least 20 people.
Police said that another 20 people were hurt after the explosion yesterday in the town of Deeg in the western state of Rajasthan.
An accidental fire caused the explosion inside the illegal factory, and police warned the death toll could rise as they searched for more people trapped inside the debris.
The explosion, in which at least 10 children died, came only days before the Indian holiday of Diwali, or festival of lights, when millions of Indians take to the streets to let off fireworks.
Months before Diwali, illegal fireworks factories spring up in many parts of India and almost all of these employ children, a child rights' group said.
Poor children work at these makeshift factories, which are often in people's homes, and almost every year there are fatal accidents.
Swapan Mukherjee of Free the Children India said the factories often hired children as "children come cheap",
"We have come across cases where they are just given a meal a day for 18-20 hours of work, others are paid one fifth of a dollar,". There are at least 1,500 such illegal factories around each of India's major cities, Mr Mukherjee said.
Last year, four children died and dozens were hurt in a similar blast in West Bengal.
Reuters