New Delhi  - At least eight people, including six children, were killed in an explosion in a village in eastern India as people were making firecrackers ahead of a festival, news reports said Monday.

Two villagers were injured in Sunday's explosion in Balasore district, 230 kilometres north of Orissa's state capital, Bhubaneshwar, the PTI news agency reported.

The blast occurred when people were illegally making firecrackers in a house and some of them caught fire, police told The Statesman daily.

Witnesses said the intensity of the blast was so severe that the roof of the house was blown off. Another portion of the house collapsed on a group of people after the explosion, raising the number of fatalities.

Accidental firecracker explosions are common in India ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which is to be celebrated next month. (dpa)