ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BNO NEWS) -- At least two people were killed on late Monday morning when an explosion ripped through a chemical factory in Turkey, local media reported. Several others were said to be injured.

The explosion took place at around 10 a.m. local time in the Tuzla district in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, at a chemical supply factory, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Emergency teams rushed to the scene but several people inside the building had difficulty evacuating the building. Firefighters recovered at least two bodies, while four others were taken to area hospitals with injuries.

The heavy fire destroyed the building's roof as firefighters tried to keep the fire from spreading toward the company's barrels where chemical substances are stored. The explosion also damaged nearby buildings and eyewitnesses described the explosion as 'violent.'

Turkish officials have launched an investigation, but the cause of the incident remains uncertain.

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