Beijing - At least 43 people were killed and 88 injured in a nightclub fire in southern China that was apparently started by fireworks early Sunday, the government said.

Five of the injured were in serious condition after the fire broke out as hundreds of people were watching a performance at the Wu Wang nightclub in Shenzhen city, Guangdong province, the State Administration of Work Safety reported on its website.

An initial investigation suggested that fireworks used during the performance had started the blaze in Shenzhen's Longgang district, the administration said.

Police detained 12 people for questioning after the fire, the official Xinhua news agency said.

There was some confusion over the exact time of the fire, with state media saying it began at around 11 pm Saturday but the safety administration giving the time as 00:46 am Sunday.

Local hospitals treated 59 people for injuries and all were in stable condition, the agency said.

The nightclub was on the third floor above a market and many people were injured trying to flee through a narrow exit passage, it quoted nightclub employee Yang Zhi as saying.

"I saw people rushing out at about 11 pm and all lights were off," Yang said. "Many people were hurt in the stampede."

Yang wet his clothes before escaping from the building and suffered burns to his neck, the agency said.

The safety administration and the Guangdong provincial government had sent investigators to the nightclub, the reports said. (dpa)