NAIROBI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The death toll from a blast that destroyed a Kenyan steel factory has risen to 10, a government official said on Thursday.

Efforts to identify the dead and wounded after Monday's explosion have been hindered by the intense heat of the fire that continued to burn into Tuesday.

Earlier this week, police said the managing director of Devji Steel Factory -- located on the outskirts of Nairobi -- told investigators he suspected an unexploded mortar bomb may have exploded in the factory's furnace.

The factory was involved in melting scrap metal, including spent ordnance.

The number killed is now twice what was first feared.

"The explosion in the steel factory cost 10 lives," government spokesman Alfred Mutua told a press briefing.

Mutua said it was still too soon to determine the cause of the blast.

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