An oil tank explosion Friday in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region left six people burned and two missing, according to the local fire brigade.

The accident occurred at around 10 a.m. in a cereal and oil company in the city of Aksu in Xinjiang. The injured have been sent to the hospital, local fire brigade said.

The exploded tank was about 3 to 4 meters in diameter and had contained waste oil.

The fire has been extinguished and the case is under investigation, according to local authorities.