2 killed in China fireworks factory blast

An explosion in a fireworks factory in east China's Jiangxi Province on Friday afternoon has left two people dead and another injured as of Saturday afternoon.

The blast occurred at 2:39 p.m. in a powder filling workshop of Wantong Fireworks Factory in Shangli County. One worker died at the scene. The injured people were rushed to a local hospital.

One severely wounded died at the hospital despite treatment.

The factory is licensed and far from residential areas, according to the local government.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Shangli is one of China's four major fireworks production regions. In 2014, the county produced more than 10 billion yuan's (1.61 billion U.S. dollars) worth of fireworks, second only to Liuyang City in central China's Hunan Province.