SAO PAULO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and seven others injured on Tuesday in a blast at an explosives factory in Quatro Barras, a municipality in southern Brazil's Parana state, according to local authorities.

The explosion occurred in the morning at the Enaex Brasil company's facilities in an industrial area near Curitiba, capital of the state.

Enaex Brasil released a statement with a list of the nine victims, expressing its condolences and offering to cooperate with the investigation. The seven injured were treated at the scene, the company added.

Brazil's Ministry of Labor has launched an investigation into safety conditions at the company's headquarters.

Parana Public Security Secretary Hudson Teixeira said at a press conference that the victims' bodies were so badly damaged that DNA tests will be needed to confirm their identities.

According to Teixeira, the blast occurred as a group of employees was handling explosive materials that were about to be loaded onto a truck. ■