An explosion at a plant in Kunshan, East China's Jiangsu Province Sunday morning killed seven people, local authorities announced.

A container used for scrap metal exploded around 7:12 am in the outdoor yard of a metal molding plant, which also set fire to a workshop in the plant. 

The accident injured five others, including one seriously. The explosion site has been cleared up and local authorities are investigating what ignited the container.

(Compiled by Shan Xin and Chen Lidan)