At least 17 people were killed in India after a blast occurred at a pharmaceutical plant in the country's southern state of Andhra Pradesh, police said Thursday.

The magnitude of the explosion was so high that the victims' bodies were severed and left scattered at the site.

Some 40 other people were injured in the blast with severe skin burns, officials said.

What do we know about the blast?

Local police official M. Buchaiah told the Indian Express newspaper that the workers caught in the blast suffered horrific chemical burns.

"It was horrible, heartbreaking," he told the paper, describing the pain people suffered as those who survived were carried to ambulances. "They were screaming before they lost consciousness."

Families of the workers rushed to the blast site to check on their loved ones as soon as the news of the incident spread.

The state government has ordered an investigation.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to a mishap at a factory in Anakapalli. Condolences to those who lost their near and dear ones," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on messaging platform X, formerly Twitter. He added that financial sums would be disbursed to the victims and their families.

What may have caused the explosion?

The explosion occurred on Wednesday at the Escientia Company in Anakapalle District, which is about 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

The pharmaceutical company employs about 380 workers. Many were spared as they were on their lunch break when the explosion occurred, prompting the fire.

Officials suspect there was an explosion in the chemical reactor. CCTV footage was being checked and the victims were being questioned to determine whether human error caused the blast.

District police superintendent M. Deepika said that investigators believe the blast was caused by a "gas leak... which eventually hit an electrical panel."

India is a global hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing but fires in factories are quite common as owners often flout safety regulations. 

mfi/rmt (AFP, AP, Reuters)