Spanish fireworks blast kills five

Flames engulfed the factory and spread to a nearby wood

Five people have been killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Spain.

Eight others were injured, three of them seriously.

One factory worker is missing after the blast, said the regional government's Emergency Coordination Centre.

The fire at the plant, the Hermanos Borreda factory in the south-eastern Spanish town of Rafelcofer about 60km south of Valencia, has been brought under control.

Flames engulfed the factory and spread to a nearby wood before finally being doused by firefighters.

The blast comes two days after an explosion at a fireworks plant in the Dutch town of Enschede killed at least 20 people and injured hundreds.

End of shift

The blast happened at 1600 local time, just as the many workers were coming to the end of their shift.

Red Cross officials helped at the schene of the blast

Eyewitnesses spoke of a powerful explosion that could be felt in the centre of Rafelcofer 3.5 km away.

The cause of the blast is unknown.

The factory employed about 20 people and is reported to have had its annual inspection last June.

The factory equipment was in good working in order, although inspectors had recommended improvements to some of the older parts of the factory, industry ministry sources in Valencia are quoted as saying.

The factory is reported to have suffered an explosion in 1991 that killed one person.

The BBC's Flora Botsford in Madrid says the Valencia region is famous for its fireworks industry and for its colourful and sometimes dangerous fireworks displays.