At least 9 persons were killed and several others injured in a massive explosion that took place in an explosive manufacturing factory in Nagpur on Sunday morning, officials said. The state government announced a probe into the incident.

The thundering blast occurred around 9 am in the Solar Industries India Ltd, which manufactures industrial explosives, at its Bazargaon plant when the morning shift had started, said locals.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar expressed grief over the tragedy and announced an aid of Rs 500,000 to the kin of each deceased victim.

Fadnavis visited the blast site this afternoon while Pawar has called for full treatment of all the injured in the incident.

The state government has announced a thorough probe into the tragedy, while the company has also announced a help of Rs 20 lakh to the deceased victims.

The exact cause of the blast is not known, and it is not clear how many workers were present in the factory at that time, said the officials.

Police cordoned off the area even as rescue and relief works were taken up on a huge scale while a large number of enraged workers and the relatives of the victims staged protests outside the factory.