GUANGZHOU - The death toll from a warehouse explosion in South China's Guangzhou city has risen to seven as three more bodies were recovered, local police said on Wednesday.

The blast occurred at 11:50 am Tuesday in a roadside storehouse in the Ezhangtan area of Guangzhou's Baiyun district, when workers were unloading goods from a container truck. Four people were killed at the site and 36 others were injured.

Three people, including a Jordanian, the owner of the goods, have been detained by police.

Investigation has showed that the explosives were toy pistols, the production and circulation of which is forbidden in China, according to the city's public security bureau.

The injured are in stable conditions. As of noon on Wednesday, 15 slightly wounded people have been discharged from hospital.

The warehouse, which covers an area of 14,000 square meters, is mainly used to store shoes. Rescuers are still clearing the site as there might be new victims.