Blast in fireworks factory kills five in central Chinese town

Beijing: Authorities in central China say five people have been killed and seven injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory, just weeks ahead of the Chinese New Year.

The Tongxu county government in Henan province said on Thursday that a team was set up to investigate the blast. Its cause was not immediately clear.

China is less than a month away from New Year celebrations, when holiday revelers set off fireworks to ring in the new lunar year. Often, there are reports of fireworks-related incidents at factories in the weeks leading to the holiday, as China generally has a poor record in workplace safety.

On Wednesday, a machinery factory was hit by an explosion that killed four workers in the eastern city of Shanghai.