Six workers including five women were killed and three injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory near Nagpur city on Thursday afternoon, police said.

The incident took place around 1 pm at Chamundi Explosive Pvt Ltd at Dhamna village under Hingna police station limits, around 25 km from here.

A total of nine injured persons were brought to two private hospitals in the city, said Nagpur police commissioner Ravindra Singhal.

Of them, five women and a man died during treatment, he told mediapersons.

Most of the victims were working in the factory's packaging unit when the explosion took place, another police official said.

Further probe was on, he added.

Union minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari took to X to express condolences for the deceased.

The BJP leader also appealed local party workers to cancel a program organised here in the evening to welcome him to the city after he again took oath as Union road transport minister following the Lok Sabha elections, his office said in a statement.

NCP (SP) MLA from Katol and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh visited the blast site. The factory is located in the Katol assembly constituency.

The owner and manager of the factory were missing and no ambulances were available after the explosion took place, he claimed, adding that his supporters arranged ambulances for the victims.

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