The fatal accident in Thailand comes less than three weeks after an unrelated fireworks-related mishap in Port Dickson killed one local man and injured another.

In a devastating incident on Wednesday, January 17, a fireworks factory in central Thailand faced a catastrophic explosion, apparently resulting in at least 20 confirmed fatalities, as reported by the government’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with some reports saying 23 dead, and others confirming 19 dead and several more missing. The number of injuries is yet to be disclosed, with authorities diligently working to secure the site in Suphan Buri province. (Updated: Local news reports have stated that 23 workers were onsite at the time of the explosion, and all of them perished.)

Situated approximately 95 kilometers northwest of Bangkok, Suphan Buri is in the heart of Thailand’s central rice-growing region. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, intensifying the urgency for answers.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, currently attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, received the grim news through a video call with the regional police commander. The commander reported that there were 20 to 30 workers present at the factory during the explosion, and tragically, no survivors have been found.

Kritsada Manee-In, a rescue worker with the Samerkun Suphan Buri Rescue Foundation, was one of several workers faced with the harrowing task of estimating casualties, initially indicating that around 15 to 17 lives were lost. The gruesome nature of the incident, with bodies in pieces, hindered an exact count.

Photos posted online by local rescue workers showed the factory site virtually leveled flat aside from debris and body parts.

Social media was flooded with images of the aftermath, depicting a thick plume of black smoke engulfing the rice field where the factory once stood. Photos shared by local rescue workers highlighted the factory’s complete devastation.

National police chief Torsak Sukvimol confirmed prior reports of a factory explosion in November last year, claiming one life and injuring three. Authorities have vowed to take legal action for any negligence involved in this recent catastrophe.

The timing is especially troublesome, coming less than a month before the vibrant celebrations of the Chinese New Year in February, a period when the demand for fireworks typically surges. This tragedy echoes a similar event in July last year, where a fireworks warehouse explosion in southern Thailand resulted in at least 10 fatalities and over 100 injuries. The Narathiwat province incident was attributed to construction work igniting stored fireworks, causing a massive explosion that damaged numerous houses.

As investigations unfold, the latest incident underscores the urgent need for stringent safety measures within Thailand’s fireworks industry., which has suffered numerous incidents in recent years.

On December 31, 2023, early preparations for a fireworks show at a Port Dickson hotel went awry when an unplanned detonation occurred around 12:30pm. The explosion resulted in the death of one local man, 40, and serious injuries to another, 39. The two were reported as siblings by some media outlets. That case is still being investigated.