A government employee was killed and eight others mostly laborers were wounded Monday in a powerful blast in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The blast took place inside the premises of police station Bani of Kathua district, around 110 km south of Jammu city, the winter capital of India-controlled Kashmir.

Police said the blast took place due to mishandling of some explosive devices meant for Public Works Department (PWD). PWB uses explosive material for blasting activities at road construction sites.

"An employee of PWD was killed and eight others were wounded in a blast here today," said Mohammed Aslam, a senior police official posted in Bani. "The preliminary investigations revealed the blast took place due to mishandling of some detonators when the explosive material was being taken out of police station."

The slain employee was identified as Mohmmad Iqbal, a supervisor with PWD.

The eight wounded were immediately rushed to hospital for treatment.

The powerful blast caused massive damage to the police station and several vehicles of police and paramilitary troopers parked outside it. The blast also smashed the glass panes of residential houses in the vicinity.

Senior police officers rushed to the police station following the blast.

The PWD dumps the blasting material with the police station fearing its misuse at the hands of militants, police said.

During the past two decades of ongoing armed insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir, many people including Indian troopers were killed or left crippled after accidentally fiddling with the explosives.

A guerrilla war is also going on between militants and the Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989. The gun fighting between militants and Indian army troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir takes place intermittently.