Police were seeking another man involved in running the factory, Xinhua, the official government news agency, said.

The blasts Thursday at the factory in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region killed at least five people. The total could rise as police comb through the debris.

An additional eight people were injured in the blasts, which police said may have been intentional homicide with homemade bombs. Three of the injured remained in critical condition Thursday evening.

Authorities said three of the dead were local residents who may have come to watch after the first explosion and been caught by the second. The other two are believed to be factory workers.