Paris  - At least 46 people were injured, six of them seriously, in an explosion Friday in a foundry in the northern French city of Villedieu-les-Poeles, France Info radio reported.

The explosion occurred during a visit of some 50 tourists who had come to witness the pouring of the largest bell the foundry has ever produced.

As the bell was being poured, the mould suddenly exploded, hurling fragments of red-hot metal and burning gases through the building.

Most of the injured were suffering from slight burns or smoke inhalation. None of the six people taken to hospital were said to have life-threatening injuries. (dpa)