At least 25 killed in Rajasthan fireworks blast

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An accidental explosion ripped through an illegal fireworks factory in Rajasthan, killing at least 25 people, including 12 children, just days before Diwali.

Police said that another 17 people were hurt after the explosion on Wednesday in the town of Deeg, a senior police officer said.

"We have lost hopes of finding any survivors as we are only digging up bodies or body parts," R. Narsimha Rao, a police inspector general in Rajasthan, told Reuters.

The blast came only days before Diwali, 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 clandestinely work at these makeshift factories, which are often in people's homes, and almost every year there are fatal accidents.

Employing children in hazardous occupations such as fireworks and electric bulb manufacturing units were banned by the government in 1987.

Wednesday's blast highlights how India has fared poorly in implementing the law.