"The cause of the blast is still unknown and is under investigation," an official at the work safety administration of Ma'an city that oversees the county told AFP.

"The latest reports from the site are that 14 people are dead and 30 injured."

It was unlikely that the toll would rise higher, the official said.

Initial investigations indicated that chemicals could have been ignited during the emulsifying process, Xinhua said.

The factory produced explosives for civilian uses, such as mining, it said.

The exact number of workers in the building was not immediately known, it added.

"The rescue work is difficult, since there are combustible materials in the plant, which might lead to further blasts," Xinhua quoted rescuers as saying.

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