Eight persons were killed after a blast at the ordnance factory in Maharashtra's Bhandara district on Friday, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

“As per preliminary information, eight persons were killed and seven injured in the blast,” Gadkari told reporters.

A senior district official said the blast caused the roof of the unit to collapse. Search and rescue efforts were underway at the site, he said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said that 13 to 14 workers were stuck at the site.

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

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, and one of them died, while the others were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

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