Two villagers died in hospital on Friday morning after an explosion in a fireworks workshop in the city of Qingzhou, east China's Shandong Province.

Seven others were slightly injured in the blast which occurred at 9:30 PM Thursday at the Erfu fireworks workshop, according to the local work safety administration.

The workshop is located about 15 kilometers to the east of the city, and some citizens said they had felt the shock wave from the blast.

Dozens of private houses were damaged in the explosion, said the administration.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the blast occurred in a storage area.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2006)