Five people died and four were injured in two blasts at illegal fireworks factories in central China's Henan Province, officials said on Monday.

The explosions at two separate workshops on Sunday in Biyang County also destroyed seven houses, said the officials with Henan Administration of Work Safety.

An explosion at a workshop in Fengcun village early on Sunday killed one person and injured three. A few hours later at 9:00 AM, a blast tore through a workshop in the village of Guoji, killing four and leaving one injured.

All four injured people have been sent to hospital.

Work safety officials and police have started to investigate the causes of the two blasts. Preliminary investigations have found that both workshops were operating without licenses.

Last January, an explosion at a fireworks factory in Linzhou City, also in Henan Province, claimed 36 lives.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2007)