A blast at the Bhilai Steel Plant here in Chhattisgarh killed 9 employees and injured 14 on Tuesday, the police said. The explosion at the plant of the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) took place at around 10.30 am, the police said.

The explosion took place in a gas pipeline connected to the coke oven section of the plant in Bhilai town, located around 30 km away from the Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, Inspector General of Police (Durg Range) G P Singh said. As per preliminary information, over 24 employees were working at the spot when the accident occurred, he said.