Fireworks factory explosion in China kills 13

BEIJING (Reuters) - An explosion at a fireworks factory in northern China's Inner Mongolia region has killed 13 people and injured six, according to state media.

The semi-official China News Service said that the explosion happened in Gu'aohan Banner on Saturday morning, but provided no other details other than that a probe into the cause of the blast was underway.

Blasts at firework factories, many unlicensed and run with little regard for safety, are common in China, where firecrackers are let off enthusiastically at weddings and especially at the start of the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Bill Tarrant)