At least 19 people have died, 15 others are injured and many are feared trapped due to a blast which took place in a firecracker factory in Gurdaspur, Punjab on Wednesday. Fire tenders are present at the spot. Vipul Ujjawal, DC Batala, said that four people are seriously injured. The firecracker factory blast was so strong that three to four nearby buildings also collapsed and smashed window panes of buildings that were up to 1 km away. A car and a bike was also destroyed in the blast. The structure, in which the firecracker factory was being run, was three-storey which also crumbled. Several people were feared trapped under the debris, officials said, adding that the rescue operation was underway. The incident took place around 4 pm at the factory located in a residential area, Inspector General (Border Range) SPS Parmar said. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for the rescue operation. Senior officials of the district administration and police have reached the spot to take stock of the situation. Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/punjab-gurdaspur-batala-firecracker-factory-explosion-updates-1595505-2019-09-04