Rescue workers sifting through the debris of a huge firework explosion in eastern China have found another six bodies, bringing the total death toll to 27, state media said Sunday.
The blast occurred Friday as Huang Lexiang, a firecracker manufacturer and her daughter were unloading two tons of explosives from a lorry at Huang's home in a large building in Jiangxi province's Shangli county, Xinhua news agency said.
Police believe the explosion may have been caused by a spark that set off the explosives as Huang's daughter rubbed a container against a wall.
The explosion completely destroyed the five-storey building and smashed window panes for a radius of 200 meters (yards), the agency said.
Police confirmed that Huang and her daughter were among those killed.
The number of people injured remained at 26, Xinhua said.
Friday's explosion was the third reported deadly firecracker blast in China in recent months, and the second to erupt in Shangli county.
In March, an explosion killed 33 people in the county, while as many as 75 died in late June when a fireworks factory blew up in south China's Guangdong province -- BEIJING (AFP)
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