HOHHOT - A fireworks explosion killed five people and injured eight others in the city of Chifeng in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Tuesday, local authorities said.

The accident took place at about 2 pm, when two local farmers who brought a trailer full of fireworks to sell in the city set off some of the fireworks for display purposes, a spokesman with the Inner Mongolia Regional Work Safety Bureau said.

The two farmers and three onlookers were killed instantly, he said.

Local authorities are investigating the incident, he said.

The Chinese traditionally set off fireworks and firecrackers to welcome the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on January 23 this year.