Palghar, Oct 26 (IANS): At least three persons were killed and 12 others injured in a major blast followed by a fire at a chemical factory in Tarapur industrial area of Maharashtra's Palghar on Wednesday, police said.

The incident took place around 4.15 p.m. at the Bhageria Industries Ltd's chemical plant in the Tarapur-Boisar industrial belt, said an official of Palghar police control room.

The local fire brigade, police and other rescue teams, along with senior officials, have rushed to the site to render assistance and work is on to retrieve more victims who are feared trapped there.

The injured victims, some who sustained critical burns, have been taken to nearby hospitals, and preliminary investigations launched, said the official.

According to the first reports of the tragedy on Bhau-Beej festival day, the explosion followed by a gas leak and blaze may have taken place during certain routine maintenance work of a boiler in the plant, and further details are awaited.

Locals said that they heard a huge blast followed by flames emanating from the factory premises amid suspicion of some toxic gas leakage, but police have not commented on this yet.