There is no longer any hope of finding survivors among the nine people who were on the site, says the Minister of Security in the state of Paraná to reporters.
Seven more people were injured and are being cared for in hospital. The loud bang is said to have been heard in several nearby towns.
The area is heavily damaged. Within a radius of about 1.5 kilometers, we have houses with broken windows and damaged walls. It was an enormous shockwave, says the spokesperson for the rescue service Luisiana Guimaraes.
It is unclear what caused the explosion, which is believed to have been unintentional. The company that owns the factory will now investigate the incident.
