NEW DELHI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- At least two people died and several others were injured when a massive blast occurred in a fireworks-making unit in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, confirmed a local official.

The blast was reported from the state's Virudhnagar area. Those injured were admitted to a local hospital.

All the victims were factory workers.

According to the latest reports, rescue and relief work was being carried out to find if there were any people trapped inside the unit.

The fireworks factory was being illegally operated, said the local official. An investigation was underway to ascertain the validity of licences or official permissions with the factory owner.