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At least 26 killed in Indonesia fireworks factory explosion

At least 26 people have been killed and 30 injured in a fireworks factory explosion Thursday near the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
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(CNN) — At least 26 people have been killed and 30 injured in a fireworks factory explosion Thursday near the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

Rescuers are on the scene and the number of victims may rise, said Muhammad Suhermanto, a local fire and disaster agency official, speaking to CNN Indonesia.

The explosion happened in the morning in Tangerang, a satellite city on Jakarta’s western outskirts, where there are several industrial parks. Ten fire trucks were sent to the scene, Suhermanto said.

Images of the factory showed a motorbike burned down to its frame, completely charred. Another showed a body in a bag being evacuated.

Officials suspect a fire broke out from an electric short circuit before triggering the explosion.

“There was a large explosion. Our suspicion is that the the explosion was triggered by chemical materials inside the factory. And the large explosion was then followed by smaller one,” Suhermanto said.

Indonesia has poor fire safety standards and industrial fires are not uncommon. It is not the first time a deadly explosion has occurred at a fireworks factory.

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