The death toll in a traffic collision that triggered an explosion on an expressway in east China's Jiangxi Province on early Saturday has risen to four, local authorities said.

The accident took place at about 4 a.m. on the expressway near Nankang City when a truck loaded with fireworks collided with another truck carrying butter, said a provincial traffic police spokesman.

"Four bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. We are investigating whether there are more casualties," he said.

The explosion also slightly damaged the doors and windows of houses in a roadside village, but no casualties were reported, he said.

Police are looking into the cause of the accident, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2009)