Blast in Philippine fireworks factory kills 5-police

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By Romeo Ranoco

TRECE MARTIRES, Philippines, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A blast in a fireworks factory south of the Philippine capital Manila on Thursday killed at least five people and wounded dozens of others, police and officials said.

Most of the victims were workers at the Starmaker fireworks factory in Cavite province, said Ryan Lucero, acting area manager of the factory.

"It was really frightening. We scampered for safety because the ground was shaking and on fire. Then, body parts started flying around together with metal and wooden debris," Juanito Salvatos, a gardener who was near the blast site, told Reuters.

Salvatos said several houses and a church across the factory were damaged by the explosion.

Cavite police spokesman Superintendent Steve Ludan said five people were killed but their identities were still to be confirmed.

Ludan also said about 38 people were wounded, mostly suffering cuts from glass shards.

Perfecto Palad, regional police chief, said the explosion appeared to be an accident. (Additional reporting by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Sugita Katyal)