BBC News:
At least nine people have been killed and more than 115 injured after a blast at a fireworks warehouse in a market in southern Thailand on Saturday.
The blast in Sungai Kolok, on the Malaysian border, at around 15:00 local time (09:00 BST) is thought to have been caused by construction work.
The market fire is now under control, the local governor told AFP.
A preliminary investigation indicates a “technical error” during steel welding was responsible, Sanon Pongaksorn said.
Footage published in local media showed a large smoke plume rising from the market, with many shops, homes and vehicles badly damaged by the force of the explosion – including several on fire or with their rooves ripped off.
Seksan Taesen, an eyewitness who lives 100m (330 ft) from the market, said he was at home when he heard a “loud, thunderous noise and my whole house shook”.
“Then I saw my roof was wide open. I looked outside and I saw house collapsing and people lying on the ground everywhere. It was chaos”, he told AFP.
Thailand’s construction industry has a poor safety record and deadly accidents are commonplace.
Last month two people died after a road bridge collapsed onto traffic during construction in the capital Bangkok.
