At least nine persons died and three were injured on Sunday in a blast at an explosives factory in the Nagpur district, PTI reported.

The blast, which took place at 9 am at Solar Industries in the Bazaargaon area, severely damaged the factory.

Twelve workers were present in the factory when the blast took place, a police official said.

Commenting on reports that there was a delay in rescue operations being carried out, Nagpur Collector Vipin Itankar said that this was because petroleum and explosives experts had to follow mandatory safety protocols, The Times of India reported.

“The petroleum and explosives experts will investigate the accident and submit a report to me,” Itankar was quoted by the newspaper as saying while overseeing rescue efforts at the site.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the factory manufactures drones and explosives for defence forces. He said that the state government will pay Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who died.