Nine dead in India factory blast

At least nine workers were killed in a blast Sunday at a factory manufacturing drones and explosives in western India, the government said.

The explosion at Solar Industries India in Maharashtra state's Nagpur city happened when the workers were in the packing area.

"It is very unfortunate that nine people including six women died in the explosion at Solar Industries in Nagpur," the state's deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on X, formerly Twitter.

The company manufactures drones and explosives for the country's defence forces, he added.

The state government will provide $6,000 each to the families of those who died in the accident.

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Police have launched a probe into the incident that also left at least three workers injured.

Industrial disasters are common in India, with experts blaming poor planning and lax enforcement of safety rules.

Last year, 11 people were killed in eastern Bihar state after an explosion at a house were firecrackers were being manufactured illegally.

And in 2021, 19 people died in a blast at a firecracker factory in southern Tamil Nadu state.