Six people were killed and at least five severely injured on Sunday in a boiler explosion at the distillery unit of a sugar factory in Karnataka’s Bagalkote district, reported The News Minute. The injured were taken to hospital.

The three-storey building housing the distillery unit reportedly collapsed under the impact of the blast, reported The New Indian Express. The cause of the explosion is not yet known.

An unidentified police official of Mudhol Police Station said the blast occurred between 12 pm and 12.30 pm. Around 20 people were on the factory floor at the time of the incident.

Bagalkote District Collector Shantaram said three bodies have been recovered till now. A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said district officials have been directed to conduct an inquiry and submit a report. The state government will provide compensation to the families of those who died in the accident.

Former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Murgesh Nirani is the proprietor of the Nirani Sugar Factory Limited, reports said.