BEIJING, July 5 (Reuters) - An explosion in a nightclub in northeast China killed 5 people, injured 32 and still others were missing, state media reported on Thursday, giving no details of the cause.

The China News Service reported that the blast hit an entertainment club in Benxi county, Liaoning province, at about 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Four of the injured were badly hurt, and rescuers were searching for another dozen or so people.

The brief report did not say whether the explosion was deliberate or an accident.

"The cause of the incident remains unclear and an investigation is under way," it said.

The Communist Party chief of Liaoning province, Li Keqiang, ordered harsh punishment of anyone found to be responsible for the explosion, the news service said.

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