Factory boiler blast kills 6 in eastern India, injures 6

People watch the remains of the food snacks factory that got damaged in an explosion in an industrial area in Muzaffarpur, India, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. Police say a factory boiler has exploded in eastern India, killing at least six workers and injuring six others. (AP Photo)

PATNA, India — A factory boiler exploded in eastern India on Sunday, killing at least six workers and injuring six others, police said.

Rescuers were looking for any workers who may be trapped in the rubble of the factory that produced food snacks in an industrial area 95 kilometres north of Patna, the Bihar state capital.

The cause of the blast in Muzaffarpur was being investigated, said police officer Ram Naresh Paswan. He said the death toll was likely to rise as four of the injured were critical.

Panic gripped the area as the powerful explosion shook and damaged homes and factories in the Bela industrial area, media reports said.

Poor safety standards are a frequent cause of fires and explosions in India.

Last year, a major fire and a powerful blast rocked a warehouse storing chemicals, killing 12 people near Ahmedabad in western Gujarat state.