At least 17 die in Pakistan fireworks blast

At least 17 people have been killed in central Pakistan when fireworks caught fire and exploded as they were being loaded onto…

At least 17 people have been killed in central Pakistan when fireworks caught fire and exploded as they were being loaded onto a truck.

Police in Sialkot, 60 miles north-west of Lahore, say two children from a nearby school are among the dead. Dozens of other people are wounded.

Hospital officials in Sialkot say at least seven of the injured are in a critical condition.

A local police official said two containers of fireworks were being loaded for a delivery to Lahore when the fire started.

Many of the burning fireworks fell on the roof and in the courtyard of the school, starting a fire.

Lahore is a central marketplace for the sale of fireworks in Pakistan. The government has tried, unsuccessfully, to crack down on the trade. PA

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