Maharashtra: 8 dead, 6 seriously injured in blast at Ordnance factory in Bhandara; Explosion was heard up to 5 km away

Bhandara: Eight workers died and six others seriously injured after a blast in the ordinance Factory here in Bhandara district of Maharashtra on Friday.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari have confirmed the death of 8 workers at a press conference.

The explosion took place in the factory at around 10:30 AM this morning.

Bhandara district Collector Sanjay Kolte said that the roof of the factory was totally collapsed due to the blast and added rescue operations is still going on.

He said the explosion was so loud that it was heard up to 5 km away.

After the explosion, pieces of iron and stones were seen scattered far and wide, the Collector said.

Kolte said that the blast took place in the LTP (Long Term Planning) section of the factory located in Jawahar Nagar area.

The exact cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, but authorities are conducting further investigations. Rescue and medical teams have been deployed at the blast site. The search is still on for the workers trapped inside.