Fireworks blast in India

A huge explosion at a small fireworks factory in southern India has killed 13 workers and injured eight others.

Police are investigating the cause of the blast which destroyed the factory near Velupuram in Tamil Nadu state.

Correspondents say small fireworks factories, often cramped and poorly managed, are most at risk of accidental explosions around this time of the year as work intensifies to prepare for next month's festival of lights, known as Diwali.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service