Beijing: Five people were confirmed dead and two others still missing following a fireworks explosion on early Tuesday in Liling, a county-level city under the administration of Zhuzhou in central China's Hunan Province.

The explosion occurred at around 4 a.m. in a hoggery suspected of illegally producing fireworks.

The on-site rescue operation has now concluded, and those involved in the illicit production have been taken into police custody, according to the local emergency management bureau.

Further investigation into the accident is underway.

(With UNI inputs)