A 43-year-old explosives expert was killed yesterday while handling dangerous materials at his home in a village near Arta, northeastern Greece, police said.

The unnamed man’s house also suffered extensive damage due to the blast, which occurred as he was preparing explosives for use in a road construction project.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast. Nobody else was hurt in the incident, which occurred in the village of Peta.

The man worked for various construction firms and had a license to handle explosives.

However, the law forbids explosives to be stored anywhere other than the area in which they are to be used, so police have launched an investigation into the incident.