Bhopal, Feb 6 (IANS): At least seven people died and several others were injured after a massive fire broke out at a firecrackers factory in Harda district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.

Police along with locals rescued several persons living nearby the factory. As per the information, at least 100 homes located near the factory have been vacated to ensure the safety of people.

The incident occurred at the firecrackers factory located in Bairagarh villege in Harda district, around 150 km from Bhopal. A green corridor has been set up to rush the injured persons to AIIMS and Hamidiya hospital in Bhopal.

Similarly, a green corridor was also made from Harda to Indore and several injured persons were rushed to different hospitals. At present, the the state government was unclear about the exact number of casualties in the incident.

However, reports suggested that several persons burnt alive and bodies were spotted on road outside the factory. The fire broke out at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, and effort to douse the blaze was still going on at 2 p.m.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav chaired an emergency meeting with senior officials and has passed necessary instructions regarding this. Minister Uday Pratap Singh along with some senior officials have been sent to Harda, CMO said in an official communication.