Eight people died and 17 others were injured in a blast that ripped through the homes of coal mine workers and nearby villagers in Central China's Henan province Tuesday evening, a local official said Wednesday.

The explosion, which occurred at about 8:40 pm Tuesday evening, hit part of a village in the city of Pingdingshan's Shilong district, said Zhang Wei, deputy governor of Shilong District.

Illegally stored explosives in a residential community were the cause of the explosion, Zhang cited an initial investigation as saying.

Police authorities are continuing to investigate the explosion, Zhang said.

Local police have detained 25 people, including the owner of the Tianshun Coal Mine, in connection with the illegally stored explosives, Zhang said.

Eighteen people, including several miners and their families, lived in a residential area located about two kilometers from the coal mine. Eight of them were killed and the remaining ten were injured in the blast.

The victims were from Pingdingshan's Shilong district and Lushan county, as well as Shaanxi province.

Police have cordoned off the explosion site, where destroyed homes have been fully razed by shovel loaders. The blast severely damaged dozens of nearby homes.

"I fell asleep and suddenly there came a sound of thunder above the rooftop," recalled Tian Dexiu, who lives about 10 meters from the explosion site.

"We rushed outside and there was dust all around in the courtyard. The dust settled an hour later," Tian said.

The explosion also damaged a nearby kindergarten and injured a child.

"At first, I thought it was an earthquake. So I woke up five children and led them downstairs," Wang Lina, a teacher who sleeps on the second floor of the kindergarten.