Fourteen people were killed and seven others injured in an explosion in a village in Southwest China's Guizhou Province on Monday, local government said. 

The explosion occurred at around 2:35 pm in Laoshan village in Kaili, the city's publicity department disclosed.

The village is located in the remote mountains of Longchang township.

Preliminary investigations found that the explosion was a man-made criminal case, with further investigation now underway, according to the local publicity department.

The explosion is suspected to have taken place at a gambling site on a hill, xinhuanet.com reported.

The provincial government has urged local authorities to spare no efforts in treating the injured, with personnel from the departments of publicity, public security and public health sent to the scene for help and supervision, said the local publicity department.

Guizhou provincial authorities also urged the local government to strengthen control and inspection on explosives to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Global Times