SHIJIAZHUANG - Two people were killed and six remained missing after an explosion at a fireworks workshop in north China's Hebei province Saturday, local police announced Sunday.

The explosion at 1 p.m. Saturday leveled down the workshop and damaged about a dozen homes nearby in Yanzihe village in Fengrun District of Tangshan City, said the district's public security bureau.

Sixteen more people were injured. One suffered severe eye injuries and the rest suffered bruises.

A police investigation found that the workshop owner, a villager surnamed Gao, were allegedly involved in illegal storage and production of fireworks.

Police have retrieved some human tissues at the site and were conducting DNA testing.