BANGKOK -- At least 17 people were killed in a fireworks factory explosion in central Thailand, local media reported.

Local rescuers were notified at around 3:30 p.m. local time when the fireworks factory in Suphan Buri province caught fire and was later destroyed following the explosion, according to Thai news outlet Thairath.

Images taken at the scene showed debris scattered in a paddy field more than 100 meters away from the explosion.

Witnesses told Thairath that over 20 staff were working in the factory at the time of the explosion.