At least four persons were killed and 56 injured following an explosion and major fire at a chemical factory in Maharashtra's Thane district on Thursday afternoon, officials said.

A reactor exploded at Amudan Chemical Company located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC area around 1.40 pm, they said.

The four bodies recovered so far from the site were charred beyond recognition, said Kalyan tehsildar Sachin Shejal.

The impact of the explosion and resultant fire affected at least five companies in the area, he told PTI.

Industries minister Uday Samant, local MP Shrikant Shinde and MLA Raju Patil visited the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, some 40 km from Mumbai.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that the government will bear the expenses of the treatment of the injured persons, Samant told reporters.

Shinde has also directed that the victims should be paid compensation within a week, he said.

The blast was so loud that it was heard a kilometre away, an eyewitness said. Glass windows of adjoining buildings cracked while many houses in the vicinity were damaged, officials said.

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