WUHAN - The death toll from a blast at a fireworks workshop in Central China's Hubei province has risen to five after rescuers retrieved the body parts of four workers, local authorities said Thursday.

The two-story workshop collapsed after the blast ripped through the building Wednesday afternoon near a small village in the city of Songzi, in which three other workers were injured.

Local police are trying to confirm the identities of the four dead workers, a spokesman with the Songzi municipal government said.

An initial investigation found that the fireworks workshop, a house rented from local villagers, had been operating illegally, and the owner of the workshop, surnamed Chen, surrendered to local police Thursday.

Police are further investigating the case, the spokesman said.