BEIJING (AFP) - AT LEAST five workers died and another 10 were injured on Wednesday in an explosion at a factory in China that was illegally making fireworks for the upcoming New Year holiday, state media said.

The blast happened early in the day in Hohhot, capital of the northern region of Inner Mongolia, the Xinhua news agency quoted Baoyin Batu, head of the city's work safety bureau, as saying.

The factory was operating without a licence and had been selling illegally manufactured fireworks for the Chinese New Year holiday, which kicks off on Feb 14, Baoyin said.

Rescue workers rushed to the scene but were still unable to enter the building as sporadic explosions continued, he added.

Police were searching for the owner of the factory, who had fled, the report said.

The area in Hohhot where the explosion happened has a 200-year history of firework production. At present, three factories are operating with a licence, but the others are all illegal, it added. An explosion took place in 2005 at a factory there, killing two people and leaving five others missing.

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