WUHAN - One person died and three others were injured after a blast that ripped through a fireworks workshop in Central China's Hubei province Wednesday, local authorities said.

The two-story workshop collapsed after the blast rocked the building at about 4 pm near a small village in the city of Songzi, and, so far, rescuers have pulled four workers from the debris, a spokesman with the Songzi municipal government said.

One worker died en route to hospital and three others are being treated at a local hospital, he said.

Local villagers and witnesses said an unknown number of fellow villagers were buried under the debris. Search for survivors is continuing, the spokesman said.

An initial investigation found that the fireworks workshop, a house rented from local villagers, had been operating illegally, he said.

Local police and work safety authorities are further investigating the accident, he added.