CHANGSHA, Dec. 28 -- Six people were killed on Saturday after a fireworks workshop blast in Changde City of central China's Hunan Province, local authorities said.

The blast happened at around 7 a.m. at the illegal workshop in a village in Changde's Lixian County. Five villagers, who were believed to be workers manufacturing the fireworks powder, died instantly, the Changde municipal government said in a statement.

The explosion caused a nearby house to collapse, killing an old man inside, the statement said.

The suspect who ran the illegal workshop has been taken into custody by police, it said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.