BHANDARA, 24 JAN

One person was killed and seven to eight persons were feared trapped after a blast caused the roof to collapse at the ordnance factory in Maharashtra's Bhandara district on Friday, officials said.

Search and rescue efforts were underway at the site, they said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said that 13 to 14 workers were stuck after the roof of a unit collapsed in the blast at the ordnance factory.

He also condoled a loss of life in the explosion.

According to police and district authorities, the explosion occurred in the LTP section of the ordnance factory in the Jawahar Nagar area around 10.30am.

District Collector Sanjay Kolte said 13 to 14 people were working in the unit at the time of the incident.

He said six people were brought out, of whom one person died, and the others were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The official said rescue operations were underway for seven to eight persons trapped in the debris.

Fadnavis, in a post on X, had said five people were rescued, and the district collector and superintendent of police were at the spot, while a team from the state disaster response force (SDRF) from Nagpur is on the way.