The death toll of the blast in a private firework workshop in east China's Anhui Province has risen to six, official source confirmed on Monday.

Another 13 injured, mostly aged above 50, are still under treatment, said Cheng Chuanru, director of the Anhui Provincial Bureau of Work Safety.

The blast occurred on Sunday morning in the Dama village on the outskirts of Fuyang City, Anhui, killing four people includingthe workshop owner, 72-year-old Ma Diansheng, on the spot. Ma's six-room house, used illegally for the production, was blew off.

The provincial health bureau has sent a medical team to Taihe County to treat the seriously wounded people.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2006)