FAMILY OF 5 KILLED IN PANGASINAN FIRECRACKER FACTORY BLAST

FIVE members of a family, including an eight-year-old girl, on Wednesday night were killed in an explosion in a suspected illegal fireworks factory in Malasiqui, Pangasinan.

Due to the force of the explosion, the body of one of the fatalities was recovered on a tree in the area.

The illegal firecracker factory that exploded was located in the middle of a field in the boundary of  Tabo-Sili and Calbueg.

Malasiqui Vice Mayor Daria Mamaril told newsmen that prior to the blast, the victims’ family was reportedly renting the property.

The property used to be a piggery, which the owner closed.

Barangay officials said they were unaware that the place was being used for firecracker production.

Mamaril said the explosion, which was heard throughout the town and even in neighboring localities, was reported around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the local police immediately responded and found the bodies of the victims in the area.

Meanwhile, Mamaril directed the president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) to conduct inspections in barangays to determine if other properties are being used for firecracker production without their knowledge.

An investigation is ongoing.