MUMBAI (BBC News) -- A 2km-long firecracker has been successfully lit in the western Indian city of Mumbai in an attempt to set a new world record, organizers say.

Drinks firm United Breweries staged the event to mark the Hindu festival of lights Diwali.

The firework took six months to make and almost an hour and a half to burn.

It was commissioned specially after the firm contacted Guinness World Records, organizers say. The records body says it is waiting to see evidence.

Really big

Ashok Capoor, regional chief operating officer of United Breweries, said organizers first thought of the idea almost nine months ago when they felt that they needed to do something big in keeping with their brand.

"No-one has done it before when we checked with Guinness World Records so we decided to make it really big and connect it with the festival of lights, Diwali," he told BBC News.

Diwali marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated with great enthusiasm in India and other parts of the world.

People distribute sweets, hold prayers to please the goddess of wealth and burst firecrackers on the day.

Capoor said the company then got in touch with Guinness World Records and were given a set of guidelines they had to follow when attempting the record.

"We made all the necessary arrangements and precautions as suggested by them. We had the whole event recorded on tape as well as photographed.

"We also had ample people around who witnessed the event taking place," Capoor said.

Precautions

Senior company officials and other guests were present for the event, which was held on a piece of open ground in the financial capital.

Police, fire and medical officials were also on hand, as were members of the pollution board to ensure that noise and air pollution rules had been complied with.

Capoor said film of the event would now be sent to the Guinness authorities who he hoped would recognize the record. Guinness World Records spokesperson Amarilis Espinoza told BBC News: "We are looking forward to hearing from organizers and we can take it from there."

Thursday's attempt involved a single firework. There currently exists a record for the longest line of firecrackers ever detonated, Ms Espinoza said.

That was set on 19 October 2002 in Sueca, Valencia, Spain, and the line of firecrackers measured 11km (6.83 miles).