Fireworks factory blaze kills 33 in southern Indian state

Fire swept through a fireworks factory on Wednesday in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, killing at least 33 people and injuring dozens more, some with serious burns, police said. Most of the dead were workers in the factory in the town of Sivakasi, the center of India’s firecracker industry, about 540 km (335 miles) southwest of the state capital Chennai. Television channels showed huge clouds of smoke billowing out of the factory, with repeated bursts of firecrackers resounding in the background. Rescue teams used makeshift stretchers to ferry victims to ambulances.