Vijayawada, Sep 3 (IANS): Two persons were killed in a massive explosion at a plywood factory on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred in an industrial estate in Surampalli in Gannavaram mandal of Krishna district.

The explosion occurred when a scrap dealer and his son were shifting empty chemical cans into an auto-rickshaw. The victims were identified as Koteshwar Rao and his son Chinna Rao, residents of Raja Rajeswaripet in Vijayawada.

Such was the impact of the explosion that the victims were flung into air and their bodies fell 50 meters away.

Police and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the scene for rescue and relief work.

The explosion was suspected to have been caused by some chemical left in the cans. Police said the investigations were on. Forensic experts collected samples from the scene.

Locals said the incident took place during lunch hour and this minimized the loss of life as factory employees were not present in the premises.

Meanwhile, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy expressed grief over the incident and ordered the district collector to conduct the investigations.