Nagpur |  At least 17 persons were killed and 18 others injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district on Sunday morning, police said.

The blast took place at the SBL Energy Limited factory, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil, a senior police official said.

At least 17 persons were killed and 18 others suffered injuries, the police said.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the site to carry out the rescue operations.

Representatives of SBL Energy Limited told PTI that the incident occurred at the company's detonator packing unit between 7 am and 7.15 am.

Rescue operations were underway, a company official said, adding that they will release a statement soon.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in Nagpur immediately after the blast, the police said.

District Collector Vipin Itankar and Superintendent of Police Harrsh Podar were at the spot.

The incident comes a day after a blast at a cracker unit in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district claimed 21 lives.