ANKARA, Turkey — An explosion and blaze triggered by an accidentally dropped hand grenade killed 25 soldiers during a stock check at a Turkish ammunition depot, the government said Thursday.

Four other soldiers were injured in the blast, which lit up the night sky late Wednesday and shattered windows in homes in the town of Afyonkarahisar, terrifying residents.

Forestry and Water Minister Veysel Eroglu ruled out terrorism and sabotage.

‘‘One hand grenade was dropped during stock-taking and sorting, causing a large explosion,’’ Eroglu said.

Eroglu said hand grenades were found strewn across the area and authorities were detonating them with controlled explosions.

President Abdullah Gul urged a full investigation, though some opposition lawmakers questioned whether any high-ranking officials would be called to account.

Cihan News Agency quoted Yakup Evirgen, a retired military major who handled logistics, as saying a variety of factors can be involved in an accident involving munitions, including their production date, where they had been previously stored, and whether they had degraded over time.

Another retired military officer, Haldun Solmazturk, said the stock check should not have been conducted at night and that the number of soldiers involved seemed to be too high.

Families of conscripts serving at the facility rushed to the area after hearing news of the explosions. Some remains were sent to the capital, Ankara, for DNA tests so they could be identified.

Some civilians were evacuated from the nearby town overnight. Authorities warned people to stay away from the area.

In 1997, an explosion at Turkey’s largest weapons factory in central Turkey killed two people.