A fireworks blast in Yangxin county, east China's Shandong Province, had killed eight people and injured six others as of Sunday morning, local authorities said.

The blast occurred at 4:50 p.m. on Saturday in a room stored with fireworks on a busy street in the county.

The wife of the room owner was killed on the spot.

The injured, totalling 13, were sent to a nearby hospital, where seven died and the rest are in stable conditions, officials said.

The room owner was blamed for illegally storing the fireworks, which triggered the blast, official added.