PALOTINA, BRAZIL — A grain silo explosion at the C.Vale agricultural cooperative on July 26 has killed at least eight people and injured 12 in the town of Palotina in southern Brazil’s Paraná state.

The explosion happened in the early evening, and C.Vale said firefighters and rescue teams worked through the night and next day to provide assistance and recover victims. The cause of the blast has not yet been determined.

“At the moment, the priority is focused on mobilizing all the efforts and resources necessary to preserve the integrity of the employees affected by the incident and support the families of the possible victims affected,” C.Vale said.

C.Vale told Reuters that the silo where the explosion occurred stored about 12,000 tonnes of soybeans and 40,000 tonnes of corn. The company stores grains in 125 units across five Brazilian states and in Paraguay.

Jose Ricken, president of Parana’s farm cooperative group OCEPAR, said this was an isolated case, adding there had been no such incidents in the area “in a long time,” Reuters reported.

Acting Parana Governor Darci Piana headed to Palotina, a city of some 35,000 people, alongside state secretaries to follow the rescue operations and provide support to the families, the government said.