Five killed, including a 7-year-old child, in explosion at suspected illegal firecracker factory in Pangasinan, Philippines

An explosion at a suspected illegal firecracker manufacturing site in Malasiqui, Pangasinan, Philippines, at about 7:30 p.m. local time on November 4 killed five people, including a seven-year-old child. The blast was heard across the municipality and in neighbouring towns, and fire, police and emergency personnel responded to the scene. The names of the dead have not been released, and the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. (Cover photo is a scene photo published by local media; photo credit: The Chronicle.)

Vice mayor: the municipality never issued a permit

Malasiqui Vice Mayor Daria Dolores Mamaril said in a Facebook live broadcast after the fire that at least four people had died, including a seven-year-old child, and that one person was still missing; the identities of the dead had not been confirmed. She stressed that the municipal government had never issued any permit authorising a firecracker manufacturing facility at the site. According to local media, the site was an abandoned piggery that the victims had reportedly rented and converted into a fireworks workshop.

Police: four bodies recovered at the scene; another child died in hospital

Corporal Raian Buslon of the Malasiqui Police Station confirmed to The Chronicle that investigators recovered four burned bodies from the blast site, bringing the death toll to five. Two children were rushed to a hospital, one with minor injuries and the other declared dead on arrival. Police said the cause of the blast and whether anyone will be held liable for the alleged unauthorised operation remain under investigation.

(Sources: The Chronicle, astig.ph and Pinoy Publiko, November 5, 2026. The names of the dead have not been released and the cause is still under investigation. Cover photo is a scene photo published by local media; photo credit: The Chronicle.)