At least 17 workers have died after a massive fire broke out at a firecracker factory on the northern outskirts of the Indian capital.

A dozen fire engines took three hours to extinguish the blaze in the Bawana industrial area of New Delhi.

Fire chiefs said 17 bodies have been recovered so far and one injured worker has been taken to hospital. A search operation is continuing for any more workers trapped in the two-storey structure gutted by the blaze.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

There are fatal accidents nearly every year in India as people work in makeshift factories in the absence of proper safety standards.

In June of last year, 23 workers were killed when a blast occurred while they were producing firecrackers in Kheri village in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. The explosion triggered a blaze that engulfed the factory before firefighters put it out.

India has a huge demand for firecrackers, which are used in religious festivals and weddings.

Factories start producing firecrackers months before the nation’s biggest Hindu festivals when people set them off in celebration.