NAPLES - Three people have died in Ercolano after a warehouse illegally manufacturing fireworks exploded.

 Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that in the early afternoon on Monday locals heard a loud bang and saw a thick plume of smoke coming from where the house was, on the confines between Ercolano and San Giorgio a Cremano. 

 Firefighters, medics and police officers rushed to the scene, discovering three bodies in the wreckage of the house, not yet officially identified but known to be two 26-year-old women and an 18-year-old man. 

 An acquantaince of one of the deceased said that it was the first day working at that site for the three young people, and that the illegal firework factory had opened recently in advance of the forthcoming festive season.

 Authorities are currently working to determine the exact cause of the explosion and also assess how much damage may have been done to surrounding buildings. 

 The town mayor Ciro Buonajuto expressed his upset at the 'devastating scene', whilst also underlining the need for thorough investigation into the activities of the manufacturing site. 'Young people cannot die like this', he declared. 

 dabj