An explosion in a family-owned workshop in east China's Zhejiang province has killed 11 people and injured 16.

The blast happened Sunday afternoon in a village in Wenzhou city's Ouhai district, following which a fire raged in an area of 200 to 300 square meters. Local authorities said that among the 27 people found by rescuers, 11 died, six are heavily injured and 10 sustained minor injuries. Rescuers are still digging through the ruins but are not seeing any signs of life.

Ouhai district government said the workshop, which was focus on polishing and processing hardware locks, was illegal. Investigations indicate the explosion happened after thick dust in the workshop was ignited by the sparks from the polishing machine.