Chennai, Nov 19 (IANS): Eight people, including three women, were injured in an explosion at an ordnance factory at Aruvnakundu in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district on Saturday morning, officials said.

Ordnance factory General Manager, T. Sankar, in a statement, said that the explosion happened on Saturday morning and the injured were taken to various hospitals.

Three women were admitted to the factory hospital while three people who complained of hearing impairment following the explosion were admitted to government hospital, Nilgiris. Two others were admitted to the Cantonment hospital, Ooty.

The General Manager said that a probe is underway regarding the cause of the explosion and senior police officers inspected the ordnance factory.

The ordnance factory at Ooty was established in 1904 and is into the manufacturing of propellants. It is a high-security area and sources in the agencies told IANS that a detailed investigation would be conducted regarding the explosion.