Mangalore, Sept. 30 -- At least nine people were injured in a blast at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited's Coker Hydro Treating Unit in Karnataka's Surathkal on Wednesday, police said.

Police officers said that the explosion occurred at around 12.15pm. "Nine individuals sustained injuries in the incident. Emergency response teams have since brought the fire under control," Dakshina Kannada's deputy commissioner Darshan HV, who visited the refinery along with police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy and Zilla panchayat chief executive officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari, said.

"Further details and official statements regarding the incident are awaited from the MRPL management," Darshan added.

Residents living near the facility r...