The incident occurred around 12pm at the distillery of Nirani Group of Industries in Karnataka's Kulali village of Mudhol area.
Bengaluru: At least four people were killed and three injured on Sunday in an explosion at a distillery belonging to former BJP minister Murugesh Nirani in Karnataka's Bagalkot district, according to police reports.
The incident occurred around 12pm at the distillery of Nirani Group of Industries in Karnataka's Kulali village of Mudhol area. The explosion appeared to be at the safety valve of an effluent treatment plant, the police said.
Four people were killed, and the three injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital, where their condition is said to be stable, the police said, adding that investigations were on into the matter.
According to reports, Nirani confirmed that the blast took place in one of the factories belonging to him. "The explosion happened outside our factory premises at the wastewater treatment plant. There was an accumulation of methane, which caused the explosion." Nirani said.
"I am extremely sorry for the incident. I condole the death of four men killed in the tragedy. Three were injured, but they are out of danger, it seems," Nirani added.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.