INDONESIAN FIREWORKS FACTORY EXPLODES, KILLING 23

Police in the Indonesian area of Tangerang, west of the capital Jakarta, has said that at least 23 people have been killed and dozens injured in a fireworks factory explosion and fire.

The fire gripped the industrial complex at around 09:00 local time (02:00 GMT), and footage showed plumes of smoke engulfing the factory, although the blaze is now under control.

"We are still evacuating victims," Tangerang Kota police chief Harry Kurniawan told AFP, an exact number of casualties is still to be confirmed.

Speaking to Indonesia's Kompas TV, the director of general crime at Jakarta Police, Nico Afinta, said: "There are 103 workers in total working for this factory, 43 people had been injured and were being treated in three hospitals, and that the remains of 23 victims had been found".

Parts of the building collapsed and nearby vehicles were burned or damaged after the explosion and fire swept through the factory.

Metro TV was told by a local government official that the factory had only been running for six weeks.