Eighteen workers of a gelatin factory near Nashik are still missing after a powerful explosion in the unit killed three persons and the chances of their survival are "slim", police said on Sunday.

The blast in the factory owned by Premier Explochem killed three workers and injured five on Saturday.

"Eighteen workers are missing and the chances of their survival are slim," Superintendent of Police Nikhil Gupta told PTI.

Rescue work has been called off and police were awaiting reports from the Explosives Department, chief controller of Explosives in Nagpur and director of Industrial Safety to ascertain the cause of the blast in the factory at Harsule, about 40 km from Nashik, Gupta said.

The five injured are being treated in hospitals in Nashik and Sinnar, he said.

Two of the three dead were identified as Abdul Raffiq Khan (35) and Punja Vasant Pawar.