Beijing - A factory blast in central China's Anhui province killed 16 and injured at least 43 others on Sunday morning, state media reported.

The explosion took place before dawn on Sunday at a privately owned factory in Fengyang County which produces quartz sand, the official Xinhua news agency reported,

Most of those killed were factory employees, while many of the injured lived nearby, the report said. The cause of the explosion was being investigated. (dpa)