Two boys aged five and eight were killed when an unidentified object exploded as they were playing with it in south China's Shenzhen City, said local police on Thursday.

The blast was around 1:10 PM Wednesday on a roadside in Futian District, said a source with the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau.

Three boys were playing with the object when it exploded. A nine-year-old boy received slight injuries. The two younger boys died while doctors were treating them at a local hospital, said the source.

Police said the object had yet to be identified and the incident was still under investigation. No other people were close when the blast occurred.

(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2007)