At least eight people died and several others were injured after a blast occured in an ordnance factory in Maharashtra's Bhandara district on Friday.

The blast reportedly occurred at 10 am at the factory's RK Branch section.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed 13-14 workers were present in the building when the roof collapsed following the blast.

He said five have been rescued from the rubble.

"There is a news of incident where 13-14 workers are trapped due roof collapse caused by an explosion at the ordnance factory in Bhandara. 5 workers have been safely rescued," he posted on X.

He said the rescue operation is currently ongoing.

Union Home Minister Nitin Gadkari earlier wrote on X: "It is unfortunate that a worker died and several others were trapped after a roof collapsed due to an explosion at an ordinance factory in Bhandara district. My condolences to the deceased worker. My condolences are with his family. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."