In a tragic incident, at least six labourers were killed in an explosion which triggered a fire in a chemical factory in Gujarat’s Bharuch district on Monday.

As per reports, the incident took place at around 3 am midnight in the unit located in Dahej industrial area, some 235 km from Ahmedabad.

Bharuch Superintendent of Police Leena Patil said that the six deceased persons were working near a reactor, which suddenly blew off during solvent distillation process.

"The blast in the reactor caused a fire in the factory. All the six persons working near the reactor died. The bodies were later recovered and sent for postmortem. The fire was also brought under control," she said.

Apart from the six victims, no one else was injured, she added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragic incident. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.

"PM Narendra Modi has expressed grief on the loss of lives due to a mishap at a factory in Bharuch. He extends condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000," Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

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