A powerful blast in a village in China's northern province of Shanxi has killed at least 16 people and flattened 12 houses, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
The blast rocked Huilong village in Jiaokou county on Wednesday night and was believed to have been caused by explosives stored in the home of a farmer, it quoted police as saying.
The explosion killed the farmer's family, the news agency said without elaborating.
Local authorities have sent eight injured villagers to a nearby hospital, it said.
It was not clear why the farmer was storing explosives in his home. Industrial explosives are readily available in China, and explosives or fireworks manufactured and stored illegally kill hundreds each year in China's rural areas.