Five people, including three children, were confirmed dead after an explosion Friday morning at an illegal firecracker workshop in Dingzhou, a city in north China's Hebei Province.

The accident occurred at 8:10 a.m. at a village house in Zhuanlu, a town in Dingzhou, local sources said.

Preliminary investigation found that the explosion was caused by illegal production of firecrackers by the sister of a villager named Gao Huiming. All of the five victims were family members of Gao Huiming, including three kids.

The city government has decided to take one week to clear up similar illegal firecracker workshops in all towns under its jurisdiction to prevent more accident.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2005)