MANILA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two men were killed and five others were injured after an explosion rocked a fireworks factory in the municipality of Norzagaray in Bulacan province in the Philippines, just outside Manila, police said.
In a report, police said the blast, which occurred before noon on Wednesday, was so powerful that it damaged the windows and ceilings of 10 houses extending up to 200 meters from the blast site.
Firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection found the bodies of the two victims at the scene.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire within less than an hour.
"Further investigation revealed that the fireworks factory was operating without the necessary permits and was deemed illegal," the report read.
The Provincial Police Office's Forensic Unit is investigating the cause of the incident and the owner of the illegally operating factory. ■
