Investigations are under way after a gas-tank explosion tore through a single-storey factory building killing two people in Northwest China on Tuesday.

According to the Xinhua, seven others were injured when the blast rocked the small-scale factory in Aksu of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

China Daily learned Wednesday that only six, both males and females, suffered serious burns and that they remain in a critical condition in a local hospital.

Sources from the local police station said Wednesday that the building, located some distance away from residential areas, was nearly torn down.

Xinhua said the powerful explosion tossed 11 liquefied natural gas tanks into mid-air.

Two neighbouring empty storehouses were also affected.

After the accident, authorities dispatched six fire engines and 40 firemen to tackle the accident.

It took fire fighters one and a half hours to extinguish the blaze triggered by the explosion.

Wednesday police were still investigating what triggered the blast, as the owner has reportedly been missing since the accident.

"Authorities are discussing how to compensate victims," the police source said.

The factory, located near a State-level highway, produces foam for fruit packaging.

Xinhua said that more than 30 gas tanks and oxygen cylinders were stored in the building when the explosion occurred.

Source: China Daily