“They were handling a small amount of gunpowder and for some reason it ignited,” said Thomas Carlsén of the local emergency services to news agency TT.

Three people were in the immediate area when the gunpowder exploded. Two were taken to hospital, a 55-year-old with burns and a 46-year-old who was suffering from shock.

The two men were first taken to the local Karlskoga Lasarett hospital and then transferred to the Örebro University Hospital. By Thursday evening, the 55-year-old’s condition was reportedly “serious but not life-threatening”, according to local paper Nerikes Allehanda.

“The accident happened during a manufacturing process, said Karin Walka, spokeswoman for Saab Dynamics to TT.

She was unable to disclose exactly what it was that the men had been making when the explosion occurred.

Both the men’s families and the other employees at the factory were informed of what had happened after the incident.

“It is of course unfortunate when people get hurt. We think of them and hope that they are doing well,” Walka said.

Saab Dynamics is a subsidiary of the Saab Defence Group, specializing in military materiel such as missile systems and anti-tank systems.