Eight people killed in ordnance factory explosion in western India

MUMBAI (Reuters) - At least eight people died and seven more were injured in a blast at an ordnance factory in the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Friday, a senior federal minister said.

The factory is located in Bhandara district of the state, nearly 830 km (515 miles) from India's financial capital of Mumbai, and manufactures propellants and explosives, according to local media.

"There has been a big explosion in the ordnance factory in Bhandara. According to preliminary information, eight people have died and seven have been injured," federal transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who is from Maharashtra, said at an event in Nagpur city.

Earlier, the chief minister of the state said a roof in the factory had collapsed after the explosion, and that 13-14 workers were feared to be trapped inside, while five people had been rescued.

Medical and rescue teams were at the site, Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister of the state said in a post on X.

It was unclear what had caused the blast.

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

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