The fire was in a former rice mill converted to store fireworks for the Hindu festival of light [APTN]

People had rammed a warehouse in Pallipattu in Tamil Nadu state to get firecrackers for the Hindu festival of light, when an exploding cracker triggered the blaze.

Six survivors were treated in hospital on Saturday, and officials have detained two people, including the owner of the warehouse.

C Durairaj, a senior police officer, said: "The explosion was triggered by a firecracker which burst in the congested warehouse and people did not have time to escape.

"We have recovered 33 charred bodies."

Fireworks risk

The building had originally been a rice mill, but had been converted into a wholesale firework outlet ahead of the festival season.

Fires at warehouses and factories involving firecrackers are common in India because of what critics say are lax industrial safety standards.

Earlier this year, a fire at a fireworks factory in Tamil Nadu killed at least 17 people.

Two years ago, 32 people died when a blaze broke out a firecracker factory in the eastern state of Bihar.

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