5 killed, 20 injured in firecracker warehouse blast in Philippines

MANILA: A total of five persons were killed while 20 others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a firecracker warehouse in Zamboanga city in the Philippines on Saturday, the media reported.

According to officials, the blast also damaged houses and commercial establishments near the warehouse, Xinhua news agency reported.

Zamboanga Mayor John Dalipe, who rushed to the blast site, told reporters that five persons died, and rescuers rushed 20 others to hospitals.

Of the injured, eight are said to be in a critical condition.

A police officer said that a child was among those killed in the blast. She told reporters that firefighters and the police are investigating the cause of the explosion.