MEXICO CITY, July 24 -- The number of people killed after three containers exploded at a tequila distillery in the western Mexican town of Tequila has risen to six, local authorities said Wednesday.

Following cooling and debris removal work, state and municipal firefighters discovered the body of a sixth factory worker "inside a retention pit, in the container area," the Civil Protection agency in the western Jalisco state said in a statement.

"With this discovery, six people have died as a result of the incident that occurred at the tequila company," it added.

Immediately after the blast on Tuesday afternoon at the Jose Cuervo Tequila factory, the bodies of five victims were found.

On Wednesday morning, a new fire was detected in a storage area for cardboard and other materials, and the fire was controlled by Municipal Civil Protection personnel, in coordination with the distillery's internal Civil Protection unit.

Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and "work together to guarantee the safety of the community and prevent future incidents," said the agency.

  - Xinhua