Bengaluru:

At least 12 people were killed after a blaze broke out at a firecracker shop in Karnataka on Saturday, police said. 

Naveen, the owner of the shop in Attibele near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, was offloading fireworks from a truck when one of the boxes caught fire. Aided by the crackers and other highly flammable material, the blaze spread quickly inside the shop. 

Videos showed smoke billowing from the store and two charred vehicles in front of it. 

“Five fire engines were rushed to the spot. Firefighters recovered several bodies when they finally managed to contain the blaze. Five of the dead are from Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu. At least 8 people have been seriously injured,” a police official said. 

The shop is next to a highway, and traffic was also affected.

S Rajeswari, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Salem Range) told NDTV, “At least five workers from Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district have died. Reports suggest a few others who have been killed are also from Tamil Nadu”.