Six people were killed and four wounded in an explosion at a village recycling station in north China's Hebei province, local authorities said on Sunday.
The accident occurred in Qianying village, Dongwang Township in Dingzhou city, on Saturday, spokesman for the local government
said.
The explosion immediately killed two and injured seven. Three of the injured seven died in the hospital.
While clearing debris, local villagers found one more body, according to the business owner's daughter.
The owner of the station, surnamed Ma, and his four family members, were among the dead.
The other victim was a 12-year-old girl from the neighbourhood who had made a casual visit to the station when she was caught in the blast.
A preliminary investigation showed that the explosion was caused by the illegal storage of fireworks at the station, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.