At least eight people have died after an explosion near a kindergarten in Fengxian County in east China's Jiangsu Province Thursday afternoon, local authorities said.

The blast occurred around 4:50 p.m. at the gate of the kindergarten, as the children were leaving. Two people died at the scene, and another six died later in hospital, according to the county government.

An earlier statement from the government said 66 people were injured in the blast and nine remained in critical condition as of 7:45 p.m.

More than 10 senior doctors from Nanjing and Wuxi cities of Jiangsu have rushed to the site of the blast.

The number of children among the casualties has not been confirmed.

A working team led by Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, has been sent to investigate the blast.

The provincial government has ordered checks of possible safety risks at production sites.