Four people were killed and seven others injured Saturday after a blast took place in a house stocked with firecrackers in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, police said.

The blast took place on early morning at Mohanur in Namakkal district, about 374 km southwest of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.

Local media, quoting fire department officials, reported that the combination of fireworks and a gas cylinder explosion resulted in damaging 16 houses in the vicinity.

Officials said it took several hours for the firefighters to contain the blaze. Police have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the cause of the blast.

Media reports said the owner of the house who runs a firecracker shop had stocked up fireworks at his residence for the new year sale.

XINHUA

Source: The Namibian Press Agency