NEW DELHI, June 30, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A powerful explosion at an Indian 
chemical factory killed at least 12 people and injured several others on 
Monday, turning chunks of the building into rubble, a fire officer said.

"We have recovered 12 bodies so far," said B Nagehswara Rao, district fire 
official at the site of the blast in Sangareddy in India's southern Telangana 
state.

"We are searching through the debris for more bodies."

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

Footage on Indian television showed plumes of black smoke soaring into the 
sky.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that the "death of several people 
has caused great distress". 

Vivek Venkataswamy, the state's labour minister, said that those injured were 
being treated, including some who had been "stuck under the debris".

Venkataswamy said the cause of the explosion was being investigated.