Two people were injured in a botched rocket launch during a rainmaking festival in Laos.

Footage shows the villagers holding onto the homemade explosive as they were firing it into the sky during the annual Buddhist celebrations in Savannakhet on April 28.

Instead of blasting upward, however, the rocket burst near the ground, sending debris that struck two villagers in the face. They fell from the bamboo ladder as smoke filled the launching area.

Onlooker Khun Duangjai said the incident has prompted authorities to look for remote ways to launch rockets during the festival.

The Rocket Festival, known in Laos as Bun Bang Fai, is practiced by Laotians and Thais to mark the start of the monsoon rainy season. They believe that shooting rockings into the heavens will bring rain and abundant harvests in the coming months.