Dhaka: Several people were hurt and at least six people were killed on Saturday when a fire started at an oxygen plant in southeast Bangladesh after an explosion.

The number of fatalities may increase given that a rescue effort is currently taking place at the plant in Sitakunda, 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the port city of Chittagong.

According to a fire service official, the cause of the explosion was not immediately apparent.

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Six bodies were found at the scene, a local government official named Shahadat Hossain told Reuters, adding that the search and rescue effort was still ongoing.

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Several witnesses reported hearing a loud bang that caused up to a two-kilometer radius of shaking, according to police official Nayhanul Bari.

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In June of last year, a devastating fire at a nearby container depot left 50 people dead and nearly 200 injured.