The first explosion was heard at around 10:00 am local Jakarta time on Thursday morning (26/10), followed by another explosion about three hours later. The power of the first explosion as well as the subsequent fire caused the roof of the factory to collapse. There are no reports yet about the cause of the explosions.

Based on reports circulating in local media, the fireworks factory had only been running for six months. The majority of workers at the factory are female, mostly casual workers without contracts. Indonesia has poor fire-safety standards and industrial fires are not uncommon.

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