At least eight workers were killed and seven injured after a blast at an ordnance factory in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district on Friday, said Union minister Nitin Gadkari, according to ANI.

Soon after the blast, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that 13 to 14 workers were trapped as a roof collapsed due to the explosion at the factory, as per preliminary information.

“Five workers have been safely rescued,” he wrote on social media.

However, PTI quoted an unidentified police official as saying that 14 employees were working in the section at the time of the blast. Of them, three were rescued and one was killed.

Efforts were underway to search for and rescue the remaining 10 employees, the official added.

District Collector Sanjay Kolte said the blast took place at around 10.30 am, PTI reported. The explosion occurred in the section of the ordnance factory where ammunition is manufactured, the news agency quoted the police officer as saying.

Fadnavis said that the State Disaster Response Force and a team from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation had been deployed for the rescue operation. “District administration is also coordinating with multiple teams. Medical assistance teams are ready too,” he added.

This is a developing story. It will be updated as new details are available.