At least 10 dead, more than 100 injured in Thai fireworks warehouse explosion

The blast in the town of Sungai Kolok in the southern province of Narathiwat is thought to have been caused by welding during construction work on the building

Police are investigating the cause of the explosion in the building, adding they believe it is not licensed to store fireworks

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Thai police, rescuers and locals gather around destroyed homes after an explosion ripped through a fireworks warehouse, killing 9 people and injuring more than 100, in Sungai Kolok district in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:39am, 30 Jul 2023Updated: 4:07pm, 30 Jul 2023

The death toll from a powerful explosion that levelled an unlicensed fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand rose to at least 10 on Sunday, the local governor said as police sought the owner on charges of negligence.

The blast Saturday afternoon in the town of Sungai Kolok was believed to have been caused by welding during construction work on a building storing fireworks illegally.

More than 100 people were injured in the blast that left only twisted metal beams still standing as rescue workers picked over the debris, with local media reporting hundreds of homes were also seriously damaged.

The wreckage of destroyed homes after an explosion ripped through a fireworks warehouse in Sungai Kolok district in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat on Saturday. Photo: AFP

“We have identified 10 people and found parts of two bodies which we cannot identify yet,” Narathiwat provincial governor Sanan Pongaksorn said on Sunday. “We are sending to forensics to do DNA tests but primary reports said they were different.”

Police said they were investigating the cause of the explosion in the building, adding they believed it was not licensed to store fireworks.

Narathiwat police commander, Police Major General Chalermporn Khamkhiew, said shortly before the explosion, firecrackers had been delivered.

“We are investigating if those firecrackers were transported legally or illegally,” he said.